For a long time, it’s been really hard to talk about periods, and people with related health issues have found it difficult to seek help. Because almost everyone experiences period pain it can be difficult to know what is normal. Many women are told their issues are imagined or exaggerated, and suffer needlessly only to be diagnosed with a medical condition later in life. Thankfully this is changing – increased media attention is raising awareness of conditions like Endometriosis, which affects 1 in 10 women in the UK.

There are a range of conditions related to menstruation including:

Endometriosis, Adenomyosis and Fibroids - which all cause severe menstrual pain

Menorrhagia - very heavy menstrual bleeding

Pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) - a particularly severe and distressing form of pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS). Mood symptoms are very pronounced, and can include anxiety, depression, irritability, severe mood swings, difficulty concentrating, and fatigue

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)- can cause very irregular periods, excess facial or body hair, acne and weight gain, along with irregular or missing ovulation