Beyond Period Taboo: Embracing Menstrual Wellness at Work

Rewind to 2014, I was a 33-year-old, hot, blubbery hormonal mess, and I had no idea why!

Back in the days of my 9-5, I vividly remember, more than once, walking to work with a heavy feeling, trying as hard as I could to hold back tears stinging in my eyes.

I wasn’t sure what it was or why it was happening, but I knew I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders.

I managed to get through the door, fake smiling all the way to my desk (dying inside).

I even managed to make it through a few hours.

But by mid-morning, I couldn’t hold it back…

I sat and cried uncontrollably.

 

I wasn’t sure what was wrong.

I just knew I couldn’t be there.

My concerned line manager pulled me aside. I couldn’t tell her what was wrong because I didn’t know what was wrong; I felt like I was going mad.

She didn’t know how to help me either, so she did the only thing she could and sent me home (rather than have me be an uncontrollable blubbering mess at my desk).

I felt betrayed by my emotions, overwhelmed, and completely lost as to why I felt the way I did.

What I didn’t know, and wouldn’t know until years later, at the age of 39, is that I was struggling with PMS!

It got me thinking…

If I hadn’t feared being judged for struggling, would I have felt less isolated in my experience?

What if I had felt safe in the hands of a line manager who understood what I was going through, thanks to the help of some Menstrual Wellness Education?

Would I have felt more supported by her (and myself!) if everyone was ‘in the know’ about exactly what happens to our bleeding bodies during ‘that time of the month’?

I can’t help but wonder… Would solidarity replace stigma?

Would understanding usher in an era where support isn’t just a policy, but a palpable presence?

This experience has lived with me and is also why I KNOW it’s time for a change.

I am not alone in my story

PMS-related presenteeism costs businesses an average of 8.4 lost days per year!

That amounts to a loss of £673 in earnings paid per employee.

Because so many women and people with periods are made to feel that allowances for symptoms of PMS and menstruation simply aren’t acceptable.

And so, we battle through cramps, headaches, nausea, and fatigue to ensure we receive the same professional courtesy as our male counterparts.

As an employee, this leaves you feeling frustrated, unsupported, undervalued, and burdened by the expectation to endure discomfort to fit into workplace norms.

In my study, 45.8% of women said they do not feel at all comfortable discussing menstrual absence with their employer!

It’s no longer enough just to give someone a job; those days are gone.

Organisations have a duty of care to support employees with their career development and their mental and physical well-being beyond reactive measures.

Employees need psychologically safe spaces where they feel comfortable to express and be themselves. More importantly, space to feel safe sharing their concerns without fear of embarrassment or retribution.

Leaders need to be able to inspire and motivate their people to do and be their very best; that can’t happen in a culture where women and people with periods do not feel safe to discuss their needs.

And you can bet that won’t be isolated to menstrual health; it is a reflection of the culture at large.

This lack of understanding sends a clear message…

People who bleed are being overlooked, and empathy is glaringly absent, which does not create an environment people want to work in or for!

Businesses risk losing valuable talent if employees leave to seek environments where their needs are acknowledged and supported.

And the consequences for businesses? Amounts to billions!

PMS alone results in a staggering loss of over £6 billion per year in the UK, stemming from the simple lack of support for an experience women and those with periods have no choice or control over.

A bleeding body does not equal less ability; having a period doesn’t affect a person’s competence to perform their job.

Nor does it make them less competent than their non-bleeding counterparts.

But yet… in the world of toxic menstrual taboo, periods (unfairly) equal irrational, incompetent, and untrustworthy.

Let’s set the record straight – Being in a body that bleeds never makes you ‘less than’. It might make you tired and in need of a few more breaks, but never less competent.

It’s my mission to dismantle the shame and stigma that exists around menstruation.

To provide the ‘missing education’ about menstruation women and people with periods never got in school and promote the creation of equitable workspaces.

It’s time for employers to recognise the impact of menstrual health on their employees and create inclusive work environments that prioritise well-being and offer flexible work arrangements and supporting policies.

To empower their staff to navigate their menstrual experiences with dignity – without compromising their progression OR productivity.

Nothing is Wrong with You

I spent 20 years I lived in total disconnect from my body, living from the neck up – oblivious about the symptoms and signals it gave me. My nervous system was a wreck, and I was constantly blindsided by my emotions.

I just kept pushing myself, always wondering, ‘What’s wrong with me?’ when I couldn’t reach my expectations of being more.

Pushing to be more led me to people-pleasing and perfectionism, always going above and beyond because I had no boundaries with my time or energy. This meant I lived in cycles of burnout, and now means I suffer with a lifelong autoimmune condition called Ulcerative Colitis.

And that expectation? Is set by the linear world we live in. You see the modern world was built to mirror the testosterone cycle, which is a 24-hour cycle, not 28 days. Essentially male-bodied people do 28 revolutions to our 1.

Fun Fact – There is a broad spectrum of what ‘normal’ looks like when it comes to cycles and they can range anywhere between 21-36 days.

But as someone with a 28-day cycle, your energy doesn’t fit into that. Like a round peg in a square hole, you fit, but not to your fullest capacity.

It’s time to change the conversation about being in a body that bleeds!

With the British Standard Institute (BSI) releasing the Menstruation and Menopause in the Workplace standard last year, I saw the leverage I needed to help corporations recognise how impactful Menstrual Health is to their employees AND the success of their business.

So I now offer Bloody Marvellous Menstrual Workshops and impactful training tailored for every BODY. Ideal for organisations ready to shatter the menstrual stigma and taboo within their workplace.

Not only to increase awareness and knowledge for everyone but also to drive positive change within businesses (not to mention maximising productivity and profit!).

Progressive organisations choose Bloody Marvellous Menstrual Workshops because they change workplace culture from the inside out.

These tailored workshops bring the ‘missing education’ about menstrual health to life in relatable ways to bust the ‘bloody’ shame surrounding periods and create a comfortable, inclusive culture where both businesses and bleeding bodies can thrive.

Studies show businesses do better when women fill more than 1 in 3 executive roles!

Yet many companies still don’t reach their gender inclusion targets (and when they do, it’s often tokenistic). Go figure!

One recent study shockingly revealed a third (32%) of men said they think it’s unprofessional to talk about periods at work.

There’s a reason women feel nervous about entering male-dominated environments…

• Norms shaped by male-centric views can be limiting.
• Power plays, harassment, and bias make it unwelcoming.
• Limited networking hinders mentorship and career opportunities.
• Gender bias and stereotypes hold back recognition and promotion.
• Unequal policies overlook women’s needs, sustaining gender gaps.

According to research…

 48% of employees said there is a noticeable stigma around menstruation at the organisation they work for.

And 23% of female employees say they have had to lie about their PMS symptoms to their employer to take time off.

So, if businesses benefit from more women in high-level roles…

Why make unsupportive intolerable environments for them to be in?

Not to mention a place where they fear judgment and scrutiny for experiencing something they have no control over?

The time has come to eradicate outdated, discriminatory norms within businesses.

Organisations must address menstruation in the workplace to build environments where women and people with periods feel valued.

To reinforce this message, I have launched a Menstrual Wellness at Work research project. The survey aims to gather 5,000 insights into the experiences of employees regarding menstrual wellness in the workplace.

But more importantly, so that we can support women and people with periods in the best way possible, both professionally and personally.

And you can contribute to The BIG Menstrual Wellness at Work Research Study too…. CLICK HERE to have your say.

 

You Do Not Need to Be ‘Fixed’

The working world was built before women and people with periods were in the workforce, and the patriarchal systems we live in today have continued to enforce the same expectations, it’s just not designed for you.

The message is that you need to try harder, do better, change how you look and feel to ‘fit in’, that the problem is you…

But the problem is the system, because it doesn’t give space for individuality and otherness.

The working world is modelled on sameness and doesn’t celebrate our differences, which are also the things that create innovative thinking, inclusive workspaces, and compassionate leadership.

This knowledge has had such a profound effect on my life, how could I not share it?

And now every time I run a workshop, without fail, I see people who have that exact light bulb moment I did.

I see it in their eyes…

Their world makes sense.

They suddenly make sense.

And years of self-criticism melt away!

That is why I’m sharing it with you.

Because you likely try to hit that bar of expectation too, and you find yourself in cycles of exhaustion trying to ‘fit in’.

So, I am here to help you understand the impact your hormones have on your body day to day and how you can learn to work with them to anticipate these shifts so that you know in advance what support you will need to get you through the day.

But more importantly, to help you see, that there is NOTHING wrong with you, you do not need to be ‘fixed’, and you do not need to keep pushing your beautiful body so hard.

Slowly the world is changing, it is starting to make space for us to live and work on our terms and create workspaces that we can thrive in. And I promise you I will keep fighting for exactly this.

If you want to bring menstrual education and equity to your workplace, find out more about Bloody Marvellous Workshops HERE. Or book a chat HERE if you want to discuss what that might look like. https://samanthagarstin.com/wmw/

Remember to add your voice to The BIG Menstrual Wellness Research Project HERE and support those who struggle in silence.

Follow me on LinkedIn @SamanthaGarstin AKA The Period Princess, for daily menstrual cycle myth-busting and education.

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Bio

Meet Samantha, a leading expert in menstrual wellness. She’s a Menstrual Education Coach on a mission to dismantle the stigma surrounding menstruation in the workplace. She advocates for inclusive, people-first workspaces that prioritise well-being and make space for every BODY.

Samantha empowers women and people with periods to embrace their bodies and natural rhythms rather than feeling blindsided by them. She is the force behind Menstrual WISE and offers Bloody Marvellous Menstrual Workshops to forward-thinking companies passionate about creating spaces where their staff can truly thrive (and would hate to leave).

Get your FREE BSI-aligned Workplace Menstrual Wellness Checklist here:

https://samanthagarstin.com/mwc/

Find Samantha on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthagarstin/

For any questions, please get in touch at

rise@samanthagarstin.com