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Osnaživanje, stil i inspiracija spajaju se u svakom izdanju našeg magazina.
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February 6, 2026
The average life expectancy of women today ranges between 76 and 78 years, depending on the region in which they are born, while the fertile reproductive period lasts between 38 and 42 years. The math is quite clear: the menstrual cycle shapes more than half of our lives. And it’s not just about premenstrual syndrome, mood swings, or pain during the first days of bleeding. Fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone levels affect body weight, energy, metabolic processes, and mental sharpness.
That is precisely why it is hard to believe that nearly half of women still do not know enough about their own cycle. Yet this is exactly what the Just a Period study, published in the UK last year, revealed. Sixty-one percent of women report that throughout their lives they did not receive timely or high-quality education about menstruation, while only one in ten is able to recognize the symptoms of heavy menstrual bleeding. Why is it still so difficult for us to talk about menstruation?
When it comes to pain, as many as 97% of the 3,000 women who participated in the Just a Period study reported experiencing painful periods at least once. One in four women regularly suffers from painful menstruation. Among every ten women, at least one experiences bleeding heavy enough to interfere with everyday activities every single month. Exactly 51% say their period affects their work, while a similar proportion is forced to stop exercising or engaging in recreational activities during menstruation.
And these are only the physical consequences. When it comes to emotional and behavioral changes, 43% of women report feeling overwhelming sadness during their period, 40% lose motivation, 39% feel anxious, 33% feel depressed, 31% experience anger, and 19% feel lonely. Clearly, most women experience a combination of these negative emotions.
Half of women report that their symptoms have not been taken seriously. Who lets us down? First, partners — and second, perhaps even more disappointingly, healthcare professionals. “Just endure it.” “It happens to everyone.” “Don’t be hysterical.” “No one has ever died from that.” These are the kinds of responses women often hear from medical professionals when they complain of pain or feeling unwell.
As a result, women are pushed toward self-medication, turning to pharmacists and remaining without proper treatment. To regulate their cycles, women use painkillers, hormonal contraceptives, and some even turn to antidepressants to keep PMS under control — all without real collaboration with doctors.
When partners or doctors fail to take menstruation seriously, support at work is hardly expected. As many as 77% of women believe their lives would be significantly easier if they had access to occasional justified leave due to menstrual symptoms. Still, more than half feel embarrassed to discuss the issue with their manager, while half fear their career would suffer if they asked for sick leave or days off because of their period.
And these fears are not unfounded. One part of the study included men’s attitudes and showed that nearly one third of male managers would hesitate to promote a woman who takes time off work due to menstrual pain. Far more understanding is shown for migraines, toothaches, or the flu.
Ask yourself when you last said the word menstruation out loud in public. Most women, even those who consider themselves emancipated, still avoid using the word. We may have moved past euphemisms like “those days” or “women’s problems,” but we still rarely speak openly about our periods. We say I have… and omit menstruation. We mention the cycle, but not the menstrual one.
Menstruation remains a taboo, despite being a regular, monthly experience for a large part of humanity. Just over half of women (53%) have felt shame related to menstrual symptoms at least once. Although 86% of women included in the study have experienced a menstrual mishap, most still blush at the thought of it happening to them. As many as 77% would feel ashamed if it happened in public, and one in three would feel embarrassed even if no one else were around. Why is shame so deeply ingrained — and how do we change that?
According to experts, the core problem lies in the lack of education about menstruation. Beyond basic facts — that women bleed monthly and the biological mechanisms behind it — we rarely learn or talk about how the menstrual cycle affects women’s lives.
Around 60% of women report learning about menstruation from their parents, usually only after getting their first period. Fewer than half gained basic knowledge at school, while one in five continues to learn from friends. About 13% of girls receive their first information from social media.
In this way, we lose twice over: men perceive menstruation as something trivial and insignificant, while women are deprived of essential information that could improve their well-being. Eighty-two percent of women surveyed agree that public conversations about menstruation, increased awareness of all symptoms, and access to accurate and detailed information about the cycle are essential if we want to change the current state of affairs.
