Isabel Reemsnyder

Inquiry and Expression

Graef

10/26/21

Period Pain Predicament

Menstrual cycles are thought of, by the majority of the population, as just something that

happens to a girl for one week once a month, especially in the eyes of the opposite sex. They

believe girls just bleed and get through it, while arguing that being kicked in their private areas is

the worst pain to go through. Obviously, they have never experienced period cramps. This idea is

why schools and jobs should allow girls to have excused absences and paid days off for period

pains such as cramps, migraines, and any other ailment caused by menstruation, instead of giving

them unexcused absences and forcing them to work.

When we try to describe what it’s like, most people don’t fully understand. They believe

we are exaggerating or making things up. The scientific name is dysmenorrhea, or cramping and

pelvic pain caused by heavy flow and passing clots. Now that does not sound like the most

comfortable things to take place inside a body. Speaking with a peer here at Aquinas, having a

period cramp is “worse than any cramp I can describe. It feels like someone is tearing my uterus

in two. The pain is unbearable and makes me feel nauseous. To the point where sometimes I

throw up,” (Sierra Schrotenboer, 2021). If a girl's “time of the month” is causing them to become

physically sick, why are we expected to sit through classes and do demanding daily duties?

School systems are under the impression that because it is not a “real” illness, it doesn't

affect our productivity or attentiveness during classes. A study done by Beth Darnall (Marks,
2019) an associate professor of anesthesiology at Stanford University, revealed that twenty

percent of students who participated in this study were marked absent from class. Another

forty-one percent claimed that their concentration and ability to perform well were severely

impaired. Us girls should be focused on studying for our next test but instead are sitting at an

uncomfortable desk writhing in pain due to something that we have no control over.

A change can be made, and quite honestly it is a very simple fix. Making one amendment

to a school policy would take one board meeting and would help so many females.

Unfortunately, it was proven in a study done by the National School Boards Association, the

average school board in America consists of 52% males (NSBA, 2018). Over half of the people

making decisions on this policy do not experience the pain and effects that periods cause

themselves. The amount of policies created that affect females more than males in school

systems are not few and far between. For example, the long-standing battle against dress codes.

Still, that is a fight for another day.

Especially in today's world where zoom exists, this change should easily be achievable.

30.6% of students in America are partaking in hybrid learning and 16.3% are fully online

(Camera, 2021). The teachers are already teaching in this new way, they have navigated through

a pandemic online and are still to this day doing amazing. The resources are out there to make

this work so females everywhere can be comfortable during one of the most uncomfortable times

in our lives.
 This problem occurs in other aspects of life too. Females in the workforce should be

granted the same opportunities for calling in due to “that time of the month.” An analysis done

on a study in the Netherlands, by Christine Greves, an OB-GYN out of Florida found that 80%

of women in the workplace felt less productive during their periods (Today). It is also known that

if a woman calls in because of pains it is likely that they will not say the true reason for calling

in. Using a blanket statement of “I am not feeling well” is a go to. When asked most felt like they

could not share the cause of feeling unwell to their male bosses. “Women hide the reason

because they don't want to be treated as someone with a disease,” said Dr. Theodoor Niboer, a

gynecologist at Radboud University Health Center (Today). We should not be afraid to express

what is happening in our daily lives. We should be able to reach out when needed and ask for

time off. If not for the benefit of ourselves, then for the benefit of the companies we work for. If

I were a boss I would not want someone working if they were not in the right headspace to

perform efficiently and effectively.

Let me paint a quick picture. We already know these aggressive pains cause some of us to

physically curl up in a ball and writhe in pain. If you are a brain surgeon or orthodontist and you

get hit with one of those cramps in the middle of working on a patient what will happen? One

wrong move and anothers life is on the line. Here is another example, you are a child therapist or

someone who holds a lot of influence over others and your PMS is amped up one day. How can

you guide someone to the right decisions when your emotions are all out of whack. One of your

patients could come in to ask questions about their relationship and because you are in your

feelings you say “screw them, break up and be a happy single person” instead of talking them
through a decision that probably has a better solution. Now that may be extreme, but extreme

ideas are what it takes to create and enact change.

An alternative fix to the situation could be schools and jobs providing more resources for

females. It is as simple as placing a bin of IbuProfen and Midol in bathrooms. If schools are

scared of students taking too much then keep it in the office and track how much is handed out to

each student. Or perhaps using a small amount of school funds to purchase heating pads for girls

to use throughout the day. Now with most schools getting a Covid-relief fund buying five

thirty-dollar heating pads off Amazon should not be too difficult. Once bought they can be left in

the nurse's office or athletic trainers room and students can use passes to go use one for

twenty-minutes at a time. The rules could be tweaked but the opportunity that schools have to

make change is there.

Not only is this a problem nationally but globally there are millions of reported

absenteeism, the term used when you are physically present but mentally not there. An online

study done in Australia with girls ranging in age from thirteen to twenty-four stated that over half

of the females surveyed felt fatigued from the pain they underwent. Those same women said as

they got older the pain did not subside. In fact, as years went on, the pain got worse for most

(Armour). This alone should spark a change in the job industry and their approach to the

problem.

In some ways the changes are already made and have been working. Although they do

not closely compare maternity leave, it was created using the same reasoning. A paid amount of
time off for women after they experience changes that only females go through. Now I am not

saying give girls three months off for their period. However, the concept and execution of

maternity leave could be a guide to enacting a new directive.

There are a few obvious questions, how does one know if a student is being truthful or

how many days should be allotted. Answers to those questions may not be concrete but it is

equivalent to students taking mental health days. If rules need to be placed so schools and jobs

can police the use of taking days off then so be it. Here are some fixes that may work. Students

cannot use more than two consecutive period days off in school. When calling in workers must

provide a way they will catch up for missed time when they return. In a world of lies and deceit I

have faith that the females will uphold the dignity of the honor system.

Take into account the stigma around periods versus the actual pain ladies undergo. Now

realistically consider how focused one can truly be whilst their insides feel knotted up. There

needs to be a change. After all of the different ideas given there should be at least an attempt to

improve the situation. A small baby step is all I am asking for. Females around the world can not

continue to have high expectations when our bodies just need a break. Help the girls, excuse the

hurting.
 Works Cited

Today’s School Boards & Their Priorities for Tomorrow. National School Board
Association, 2018,
https://cdn-files.nsba.org/s3fs-public/reports/K12_National_Survey.pdf?5XEOPBQlubbzr9x.8_5r
FrBRugkHKS7N.

Marks, Julie, et al. “Menstrual Pain Interferes with Academic Studies, Research Shows.”
EverydayHealth.com, 8 July 2019,
https://www.everydayhealth.com/menstruation/menstrual-pain-interferes-with-academic-studies-
research-shows/.

Camera, Laura. “Percentage of Students Learning in Remote or Hybrid ...” USnews.com,

29 Mar. 2021,
https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2021-03-29/percentage-of-students-lear
ning-in-remote-or-hybrid-classes-drops-amid-reopenings.

TodayShow. “This Is How Much Work Women Miss Because of Their Periods.”
TODAY.com, 27 June 2019,
https://www.today.com/health/menstrual-pain-linked-days-lost-productivity-women-having-period
s-t157332.

Armour Senior research fellow, Mike, et al. “3 Out of 10 Girls Skip Class Because of
Painful Periods. and Most Won't Talk to Their Teacher about It.” The Conversation, 22 Nov.
2020,
https://theconversation.com/3-out-of-10-girls-skip-class-because-of-painful-periods-and-most-wo
nt-talk-to-their-teacher-about-it-150286.