How can you spend your period comfortably at work?

Painful menstruation, 6 out of 10 women occurs and negatively affects daily life.

Various symptoms range from throbbing headaches to mood swings, from painful cramps to trouble concentrating. menstrual experience with negative symptoms Of course, being at work when you can just lie in a corner and spend time is unpleasant.

“Disonere”, that is, painful menstrual pain, can vary from person to person.

in the lower abdomen Cramp-like pains may be felt during or before the menstrual cycle. Some are not affected much in their daily activities, while others have difficulty even in a simple action such as getting out of bed.

Pain may be felt not only in the lower abdomen, but also radiating to the hips and inner legs. This, dizziness, nausea It may also cause side symptoms such as:

Painful menstrual period, “at least as painful as a heart attack” It can happen. In the world 1 in every 5 women Although these severe pains in the menstrual cycle, which she experiences every month and affects the quality of her daily life, are tried to be relieved with painkillers containing “ibuprofen”, effective results cannot be obtained.

Why is menstrual leave necessary for people who have a heavy period?

Menstrual leave is a situation in which menstruating people request a legal right to take 1-2 days off from work during this period, although a report can be taken for menstrual pain during the school period. This is not easy in working life.

In some countries, menstrual leave is a legal right. So, is menstrual leave implemented in Turkey?

Menstrual leave in Turkey was first introduced in 2004. “Heavy and Dangerous Work” Women working in jobs within the scope of this were granted a period of 5 days, but this article in the Heavy and Hazardous Work Regulations could not be put into practice in practice.

In later times, some jobs in the textile and apparel industry were included in the scope of “heavy and dangerous jobs”, but as a result of some discussions, these jobs were removed. It was excluded from the scope of “heavy and dangerous work”.

With a regulation issued in 2013 Heavy and Hazardous Works Regulation was completely abolished and all steps taken towards menstrual leave were reversed. Although there is currently no menstrual leave throughout the country, some institutions and organizations implement menstrual leave on their own.

Who enforces menstrual leave in Turkey?

• Izmir Bar Association: A pioneer in Turkey The Board of Directors of the Izmir Bar Association has decided to give the female employees of the bar a certain day of menstrual leave every month.
• Tunceli Municipality: Following the Izmir Bar Association, Tunceli Municipality has offered one day of each month as menstrual leave to its employees with this statement: Our women’s councils and commission continue their work to contribute to the design of all the municipality’s services and projects to be based on gender equality against all kinds of discrimination. In this sense, based on our principle of gender equality, we decided to give our female employees menstrual leave on a day of their choosing every month.
• Zomato: Being an international company Zomatoto its employees in all countries in which it operates. 10 days of menstrual leave per year decided to present it as.

Even though menstrual leave is available, some women are ashamed of their male superiors and do not prefer to use it.

A government study conducted in 2018 found that menstrual leave policy It was revealed that less than 15% of the women surveyed in workplaces with workplaces requested this leave. Most women say that they do not request leave due to reasons such as embarrassment or lack of understanding from their male superiors.

Although menstrual leave has become increasingly common around the world and in our country, it is not yet implemented in every workplace.

Therefore, in order to spend painful menstrual days comfortably at work, there are some things you need to do. personal arrangements It is necessary to do.

Let’s examine the tips that will help you in this regard and help you spend your menstrual days more comfortably at work:

• Organize your business plan. By planning excessive work tempo in inverse proportion to the days when you have painful cramps, you can shift your busy days to days when you have less pain and increase your comfort one more click.
• You can get support from your colleagues. If you have tried to make your business plan comfortable but still cannot achieve the efficiency you want, you can ask your colleagues to support you. Especially by telling your female colleagues that you can support them during their menstrual periods. You can inspire and support them so that they do not hesitate..
• You can talk to your manager. While you get the support of your colleagues, you can contact your manager if necessary. For example, you can ask your manager about his/her perspective on flexible working hours.
• inside Comfortable clothing choices You can do. Prioritize comfort and practicality when dressing for work during your period. Avoid clothes that tighten your waist or legs or restrict your movements.
• menstrual kit you can create. You can add sanitary pads, menstrual panties, tampons, menstrual cups or spare underwear in the menstrual kit; You can make yourself better equipped with herbal teas, painkillers or hot water bottles that will relax you.
• Abundant water consumption is an important factor here too. Drinking water is always a very important factor for our health, but it is something that needs to be taken more seriously during menstrual days.
• You should pay extra attention to your diet at work for mild cramps. Avoid foods high in salt because Salty foods retain water and cause bloating and this may trigger your abdominal pain.
• It is also beneficial to limit your coffee consumption because Caffeine may increase the severity of your cramps. You can choose herbal teas instead of coffee. Adding a few extra types of herbal tea to your office drawer can help you feel better during your period.

Most importantly, remember to be kind to yourself. Please remember that situations such as painful cramps or emotional changes during menstrual periods, as well as carrying out your work at a slower pace than usual or being unable to carry out your work, do not make you an incompetent employee.