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Menstrual pain affects around 20% of all women and is often an issue swept under the rug or spoken of in hushed tones. When dealing with the discomfort and effects of menstrual pain or Dysmenorrhea, many women don't feel comfortable in talking about it or requesting to go home from work when it affects their productivity, but there's no need to feel ashamed.
Join these bold South African women as they speak out about their experience with menstrual pain and break the shame associated with it.
Plus, Dr Sindi Van Zyl adds her professional insight and why you should visit a doctor if you experience pain.
Watch the video below for more information:
Advice from Dr Sindi Van Zyl:
Menstrual pain or Dysmenorrhea refers to experiencing severe or acute pain, pressure and discomfort in your lower abdomen, hips, lower back and pelvic region with common causes such as heavy flow, passing clots, uterine fibroids or endometriosis.
Well known South African physician Dr Sindi Van Zyl says this about menstrual pain:
"It's important for people to understand that period pain is not normal - it's not okay for you to have 3 or 4 days of period pain and be debilitated," explains Dr Van Zyl. Reflecting on her own experience with debilitating menstrual pain in her youth, she adds, "When I started menstruating at the age of 12, I had menstrual pain almost immediately. And I remember that in boarding school, every month, without fail, for a day or so I would be sick. I'd get sent to sick bay, I'd be vomiting, I'd have diarrhea, I'd have nausea, I'd be miserable. And then I started working at the age of 13 and then I discovered that, oh, there are options."
She explains that there are tablets that you can take to shorten your period and to make it less painful and credits that for changing her life and experience with her periods. Dr Van Zyl urges women who are symptomatic or feel they are experiencing debilitating pain or discomfort with their period to seek medical help and visit their doctor for guidance on solutions to help manage and treat their menstrual pain.
This post is sponsored by 3Sixty Biomedicine produced by Brandstudio24 for Health24.
