Everyone who experiences monthly periods can remember the first time they had a surprise bleed at work. The dread hits, deflating you like a sad little balloon. You make a run for the bathroom as cool and collected as possible - only to realize you don’t have any products packed. And to boot, you have no idea if you’ll find some in the staff bathroom.
This has been a huge roadblock for women and afab people since their entry into the capitalist workplace. Accessibility of period products is the central issue. On the other hand, chronic illness and menstruation go hand in hand. There are diseases specific to the reproductive organs, such as endometriosis, adenomiosis, and pcos that go largely undiagnosed.
My personal experience is shaped by the intersection of chronic illness and my menstrual cycle. Growing up, my period symptoms hardly impacted my day to day life, cramping never painful, mood swings were average. Now I find that every symptom I’ve struggled with over the month intensifies like a landslide of misfortune. The headaches and insomnia worsen. Then I grow hungrier as my reflux gets more intense and adds nausea, abdominal pain. My joint pain intensifies, and low iron levels drop further making me dizzy, weak and fighting brain fog.
I can’t maintain my responsibilities and get enough sleep so I essentially roll out of bed and into an uber for my shifts on days 1-4 of my cycle. I count myself very lucky that the people on my team at work really look out for one another, so no one questions an extra snack, an extra sit, or some very odd stretching positions. My manager makes sure we look after our health first and foremost, and checks in every day. If I need to run to the drugstore, I’m free to. But even for a company made up of majority women and afab folks, especially in storefront locations - the materials needed to care for menstruating employees aren’t supplied. There’s no pads or tampons in the cupboard, no pain meds in the office, unless purchased by our manager or colleagues.
This means that instead of being secure that I can work to the best of my abilities on my period, I know that I can be caught off guard at any moment. I’ll need to ask my customers to repeat themselves several times because I’m blinking through pain and waiting for a window to leave my post. It has long been considered a personal responsibility to account for menstrual health needs, but the reality is that in a fifty-fifty sex split world, menstrual care must be as accessible as toilets and first aid. Menstrual hygiene is basic hygiene.
For people like myself who experience a myriad of symptoms causing pain and discomfort every day, it’s not possible to always catch or track the phases of our menstrual cycles. When I’m preparing myself to get through the day in minimal pain, my period is often the last thought, but it’s an experience each and everyone of my colleagues share.
