For many, menstruation involves pain, fatigue, mood swings and worse, yet there have been no new treatments for 30 years. Now science promises breakthroughs
It always happens at the worst possible moment. In a work meeting or at dinner with your partner’s parents. Panicked, you excuse yourself, lock the bathroom door and furiously try to wash the blood off the crotch of your trousers. Inevitably you think: how did we build a space station before fixing this?
Even for those not diagnosed with disorders like endometriosis or adenomyosis, menstruation can make everyday life stressful, if not unbearable. Up to 70% of menstruating under-25s experience pain, fatigue and mood swings, while nearly 30% across age groups report bleeding heavily. This puts them at risk of iron deficiency anaemia, a “global” and “totally under-recognised” problem, says Hilary Critchley, a gynaecologist and academic at the University of Edinburgh.
