Christine Webber
A survey of over 1000 British women with heavy periods showed that 81% dread their ‘time of the month’ because their periods are having a detrimental effect on their lives.
In fact, almost three quarters (74%) of women are forced to put their normal routines on hold - missing activities such as work and studies among other things - for up to two days a month; the equivalent of some two years1 lost over the course of their lives.
Women who suffer from heavy periods are potentially costing the economy almost an estimated two thirds of a billion pounds2 in lost working days every year, according to the new research3 conducted by Bayer HealthCare.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) states that heavy periods affect an estimated 884,0004 women in England alone and the new figures show that 97% of women surveyed, who self reported heavy periods, say that their heavy periods have a negative impact on their life.
This is surprising considering that treatment is relatively simple and straightforward for the majority of women with heavy menstrual bleeding and that there are a number of hormonal and non-hormonal treatment options available to them.
In fact, 87% of women who have received treatment for their heavy periods say that it has helped to relieve the symptoms of heavy bleeding.
Taboo Subjects
The majority of women of all ages in this survey said that heavy periods or heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), are a bigger health concern than migraines, bloating, pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) and even sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
But despite the possible negative impact of this condition on a woman’s life, 62% who experience heavy periods have not sought medical advice and 65% of women reported that they have not received or been prescribed treatment for their problem despite there being simple and effective treatments available to them.
This may be because nearly a quarter of women (23%) surveyed incorrectly believe that heavy periods cannot be treated and must be endured, or it may be because a third of women think that heavy periods are a taboo subject - with 31% admitting that they have never spoken to anyone about their heavy periods or heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB).3
In this video, Christine Webber and Dr Diana Mansour explain how heavy periods affect women’s everyday lives and provide sufferers with tips and advice on what they can do when their time of the month is getting them down.