In February, Spain took a step towards health equity that the United States and other countries have failed to address.
The Spanish parliament passed legislation giving workers the right to take time off work for excessive menstrual pain, the first European country to pass legislation of this kind, according to NPR.
This monumental step in addressing a common health issue left me wishing the United States would pass something similar.
As someone who struggles monthly with severe menstrual pain, having this kind of support would make my life significantly easier. I would feel more supported and justified in seeking accommodation on the days I am struggling.
The reality is that my story of severe menstruation pain is not uncommon. People who menstruate often put up with symptoms like excessive bleeding, painful cramping, nausea, vomiting, and headaches to name a few.
On my worst days, the pain and discomfort I feel prevent me from getting out of bed. Painful cramps knock the wind out of me, making even the slightest of movement unbearable.
Excessive bleeding makes it so that I have to remain at home. An iron deficiency only exacerbates the effects of my excessive bleeding, making me feel light-headed, dizzy, and nauseous during most of my cycle.
While my symptoms might sound extreme, multiple reproductive health doctors have told me that they are normal. I’ve had countless exams, x-rays, and sonograms taken just to make sure my symptoms were not indicating any other problems with my overall reproductive health.
Every test has come back normal, and every x-ray and sonogram shows nothing but a healthy reproductive system, functioning exactly as it should.
What do these results mean, then?
They indicate that my pain is something I will have to live with for the rest of my child-bearing years.
They also indicate that the severity of these symptoms is within range of what medical professionals deem normal.
If this type of debilitating pain is normal in our society, why wouldn’t the U.S. include menstruation pain in its sick leave policies? Why aren’t people who menstruate advocated for in this way?
The truth is, menstruation is seen as a taboo subject. We don’t discuss it in polite conversation.
People who menstruate are often forced to toil in their misery in private. The pain associated with this completely normal bodily function is kept in the shadows.
When an entire group of people is relegated to suffering in silence in order to participate in everyday society, we fail them.
By not accounting for menstruating people’s struggles with monthly pain, we allow them to fall between the cracks.
In my own experience, I have had to miss multiple classes when my cycle arrives every month. Every time that this happens, I risk falling behind in my courses.
If the U.S. had widely accepted the fact that people with a uterus need additional accommodations to account for their unique struggles with menstruation pain, I wouldn’t feel so isolated in mine.
I wouldn’t feel a sense of shame when I contact professors and ask for their understanding as I miss out on learning and participating in class.
If the U.S. followed in Spain’s footsteps by openly acknowledging the effects of chronic menstrual pain, the stigma associated with talking about menstrual pain would hold less weight on people that are already struggling.