4 days ago
It's time to normalise the conversation around menstrual mental load
Cramps, mood swings, food cravings and more, periods come with a horde of symptoms. If it's anxiety and depression for some, it's headaches and acne for others. Yet, periods and the mental load that accompanies it is never really discussed. A report released by period panty brand Mahina, Beyond Blood: The Unseen Burden of Every Cycle in May, states that with every cycle, not only do women feel the cramps and changes in mood, they also experience a mental load, an emotional strain, that is often carried in silence. The report surveyed 1,000 menstruators across eight major cities, aged between 18-45 years.
The mental period charge is the often unwritten emotional expense that women's periods cost them, says Dr Prachi Sarin Sethi, senior obstetrician, gynaecologist and laparoscopic surgeon, Motherhood Hospitals, Gurgaon. As Sethi explains, it's bigger than tolerating physical symptoms like pain or fatigue. 'It's the emotional expense of planning life according to a fluctuant cycle, ignoring the pain at the workplace and social spaces, and experiencing hormone fluctuations which have the potential to impact mood, confidence, and attention. It includes a silent arithmetic where one learns how it's possible to 'perform normally' when one feels far from it."
'Period mental load is an often unacknowledged burden that women carry every cycle. It's the constant mental effort of planning, adjusting, and worrying about leaks, and yet, no one sees it. The silence (masking symptoms to appear 'normal') is deeply ingrained in how we view periods; it's time we change the narrative and give women the space to be honest about their experiences," says Natasha Jamal, founder of Mahina.
Citing data from the report conducted by her company, Jamal says, '2 out of 3 women feel like men expect them to hide the physical and mental toll of menstruation, even if they share a close relationship."
'When I first got my periods, they weren't a huge deal apart from the cramps. But over time, the mood swings kicked in, and now they hit hard. Today, I can tell by when I'll be getting my periods as even the smallest things – the tiniest sound, a comment, a glance – get under my skin," says Sony Anand, a 35-year-old Kochi-based IT professional. Pointing out to memes that make light of things with lines like, 'I know my period's coming when everything my husband does annoys me", Anand rues, 'We might laugh it off but it's really not funny when you're experiencing it. It's messy, overwhelming, and no one really talks about how draining it is."
A 2024 study by Mpower Minds, a mental health organisation and Ujaas, a menstrual health initiative by the Aditya Birla Education Trust, that spoke to over 2,400 women revealed that 55 percent women had trouble focusing on or completing work and other everyday chores while on their periods.
Poonam Patkar, head of Ujaas says, 'To me, the period mental load is the invisible burden that menstruators feel. It's a constant calculation of: 'Do I have enough pads for the day?" 'What if there's a stain?" 'Can I ask someone for help without feeling ashamed?" 'Should I speak up about my pain, or just push through like always?"" Patkar talks of interactions she has had with young girls and women about the lack of conversations and support around them during their cycles. 'Young girls, especially during their first few cycles, express a deep sense of fear, confusion, and self-consciousness. There's the normalizing of this strain—how so many women shrug off their discomfort as just part of being a woman. That silent acceptance, passed on from one generation to the next, is a reflection of how deeply embedded this mental load is in our lives," she notes.
Despite increased awareness, silence around menstruation persists across cities, classes, and generations, says Payel Chakraborty, psychologist at Mpower Minds. 'Women may hesitate to talk about period struggles, fearing it will be seen as a sign of weakness or an excuse. The workplace, in particular, rarely offers psychological safety around these topics, reinforcing the need to mask pain and fatigue."
Menstruation is a fundamental part of life for at least 50 per cent of the population. Yet, it is treated as something shameful and taboo. The struggle is real, says Jamal, sharing staggering statistics from the research conducted by her company– 41% women avoid long-distance travel while on their periods, 38% wake up in the middle of the night just to change products, and for 34%, social interactions are reduced. 'PMS (premenstrual symptom) or PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) can significantly affect the mental health of a woman, which can trigger mood swings, depression, anxiety, feeling lonely etc. Many women also feel a bit disconnected at this time, and here the role of her support group also matters, whether her partner, family, friends understand her situation, are aware of this and do something to minimize their experience," Sethi adds.
This quiet pressure on women to be 'resilient" to the point of invisibility normalizes suffering and pushes menstruators to ignore their bodies rather than listen to them. 'Women shouldn't hesitate talking about it," says Patkar adding that at Ujaas, 'one of our goals is to create space for these conversations—to say out loud what so many feel."
Recalling a time when she wanted to just curl up and rest, but forced herself to sit through long hours and work, 'pretending everything was fine because talking about periods felt almost embarrassing," Neha Badlani, a 39-year-old Mumbai-based PR professional believes it is high time safe spaces were created where women can vocalise that they aren't okay while on their period and be heard. 'The shift needs to start now with more women speaking up."
The Mahina report talks about the need to raise awareness and drive a period revolution — one that challenges taboos, demands safer and more inclusive products, and reclaims the narrative around menstruation. The goal, as the official statement notes, 'isn't just to create products that do the job, but to innovate with purpose and ease the mental and emotional burden that menstruators carry every month."
Sumitra Nair is an independent journalist based in Kochi.
