Do you lose working days per month to your period?

[LouisaJG]

Just trying to get a sense of how unusual my own experience is with this. I’ve always had heavy periods with a lot of cramps on the first couple of days. I think it was always the case that, while I could make it into the office, there was usually a day a month when I knew that realistically I would be getting the bare minimum done. I’m now in my early 40s and the brain fog associated with pre-period and the first half of my period has definitely expanded I think. I can do basic tasks, but for intellectually intensive work I feel like I’m losing, realistically, maybe 4 days a month. It’s not good. I’m just wondering what experiences other people have had, and where the norm is? Are most women able to work at full capacity throughout their cycle? Or is it normal to have a few days where your productivity is significantly impaired? If so, how many?

YABU - I work at full capacity throughout my cycle

YANBU - I have 1-4 days a month where my working capacity is significantly impaired (if I’m lucky some of them fall on a weekend)

I think that is quite unusual. I’ve never had a day off related to my period.

I’m 46 and never missed a day of work because of my period. Nor a PE lesson. Last week I went to a water park in Europe in a swimsuit whilst on my period. Apart from changing a tampon when we stopped for lunch it didn’t impact my day at all, went down water shoots, rapids etc. The day after I went cycling in Spain in a large group. At risk of sounding like a Bodyform advert in the 90s, my periods have just never impacted my life at all.

I am exactly like you, I am so exhausted for four days a month that I can make it through the day doing basic tasks but harder tasks have to wait. I also can't parent properly...I'm asleep most of the time.
My partner picks up the slack on the parenting and I do harder tasks at work when I have the energy so long term no issues but in those four days it's so miserable, just scraping through the exhaustion.
I have pmdd so also have horrendous mental illness with mine too. Anti depressants have sorted that out though.

Periods vary so greatly from one woman to another. I needed to borrow some sanitary products from a friend once and she handed me size small tampon and pads, and I wondered to myself in what world were those going to be of any use.
It never crosses my mind to purchase anything other than super heavy night maxi plus ultra stuff. I always wonder why the others exist but some women don't need anything more.

It's the same with pain. Your experience is not uncommon. It's not universal, but sadly very normal.
The pill never helped me but finally having children did. Then perimenopause hit and we're back to square one.

It varies so so much.

Thanks for posting - I’m so sorry it’s like this for you too, but in one way it’s comforting to know I’m not alone!

I've had days off in the past but that was a good few years ago, I've since had polyps and endometriosis tissue removed which has reduced the pain. I do still get extremely tired and get brain fog though. My productivity is hugely reduced, some months more than others. I manage my own case load and I'm in a pattern of getting behind the week of my period and gradually catching up the next couple of weeks then having one week where I feel on top of things before the cycle starts again. Throwing annual leave into the mix makes things even more challenging, if I'm off on one of my productive weeks (week of ovulation I'm full of energy and really focused) I can end up feeling behind for a couple of months and be really stressed with it.

What are you doing about it? I presume someone who is in an 'intellectual role' such as a barrister isn't just being unproductive at work, whilst being fully paid, without doing something about it.

Never.. tbh I take the pill without any breaks so don't even have periods. But when I have the occasional break it's more of an annoyance than anything else. Guess I'm lucky

I did but now I’ve had endo surgery I’m much better
was averaging 4 days a month off sick due to pain

I literally said to a friend yesterday, I am so glad my work doesnt involve having to show up somewhere and be on form in-front of colleagues etc as these days (since turning 40) those 2/3 days of the month are a
bit of a write off. Physically, but mainly mentally. It’s like operating at 50%. I work for myself, mainly alone and from my own space. So I can be useless privately!

Also I love when people say I just dose up on painkillers and get to work
I used to take paracetamol, naproxen, dihydrocodeine and oral morphine and still be screaming. The ambulance crew gave me gas and air to get me off the floor to hospital once. It’s like being in labour, it’s not standard pain
I thought about stabbing myself in the ovary just so they would remove it and my wait from referral to surgery was TWO years because it needed an MDT meeting and a bowel surgeon

I can relate OP. First two days are agony. I take naproxen but some months it's just not strong enough and if i take a stronger dose it really affects my stomach.

It's a nightmare and although my doctor is sympathetic I just need painkillers that actually kill pain. I find working on those days very difficult indeed.

I have endo (finally diagnosed when I was 31/32) and I did miss school and uni due to pain and and heavy heavy bleeding.

Once I started working though I just couldn’t take days off every month, so I had to push through. I’ve definitely bled on to more than one office chair 🥲 AND I have to do a timesheet, so if there were days that I couldn’t concentrate, I’d end up having to make up the time back another day! There are a few occasions I can think of that I did have to take days off because the pain was so bad.

I had a lap in 2023 and had the mirena inserted at the same time and what an absolute game changer - I feel like I’ve got my life back!!

I only have a bad first day, and not every period is super bad, probably one in every three. So I probably have a seriously compromised work day around 3-4 times a year.

Never. I also used to throw up on occasion when school age but after a few years it sorted itself out. I’ve always been quite heavy the first two/three days and painful but I’ve never missed work due to having a period. I’m post menopause now (which was a breeze thank goodness).

My periods have stopped now but I was lucky with mine. There was one time not long after they came back after I had my first child I had to go home in terrible pain and then was off next day too but other than that single occasion my periods haven’t been heavy and whilst they were painful I was able to cope with painkillers and still work.

I'm absolutely less productive due to hormonal migraines which are not so much physically painful (they are but it's bearable) but they sap every ounce of energy I have. It takes 15 minutes to muster the will to do anything. I get them just before a period and they last 3-4 days.

I go to work those days, and as I'm self employed and paid per job not per hour, I can just take longer.

Unfortunately I'm peri now and am occasionally getting the migraines mid cycle too. I don't really have 8 days a month spare to feel like shit.