Let’s kick off with a topic I never thought I’d publicly discuss: periods. It is largely accepted by the scientific community that periods… suck. Yes, they have their biological purpose. Yes, I understand the pragmatic need for them. But I still fundamentally disagree with their existence. And while going through a monthly cycle of hormones, emotions and tiredness can understandably impact one’s personal life, I think it’s rarely discussed how much it can also impact our work.
In general, I like to think I’m quite a productive person. In the average week, getting out of bed is a normal part of my routine and getting work done in a day feels manageable, if at times stressful. Yet every month I begin to question my motivation and competency, as suddenly getting out bed feels like a mammoth task and focussing on work a Herculean effort. Every month I am disheartened and disappointed in myself as my productivity seems to melt away, and suddenly the work I considered routine requires all my cognitive and mental reserves to complete. And then every month, I realise in a moment of clarity, exactly why I’m back here again. It happens like clockwork and yet is always a surprise.
For a long time, and still now, this week is a point of frustration and tension for me. It’s a time when I feel my potential being limited by the constraints of my body and my brain. No matter how much I might want to work, my eyes are stinging by lunch time. I want to spend the day coding on my latest project, but know that if I do, I won’t have the cognitive reserves left to decide what I’m having for dinner. It’s like being on battery saver mode – everything is a little duller and slower, because the alternative is just not working at all. I try harder, I mask more, and I drain faster. And I’m not alone.
Did you know that some researchers estimate up to 75% of people who experience periods, also experience some form of premenstrual syndrome? Anxiety, depression, fatigue, irritability, poor concentration, mood swings, appetite swings, and the list goes on! Everyone gets their own special cocktail of symptoms, and it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see how this would impact work as well as broader life.
So why am I writing about it? Because for a long time, I thought I was weak. I thought all of these symptoms fell within the remit of things I could control. And so I was frustrated with myself for being unable to control them. It took being diagnosed with low iron for me to realise that maybe, just maybe, these symptoms I’d been experiencing weren’t because of my own failings, but because my biology was quite literally changing day-to-day over the course of the month. Did you know that progesterone can influence your GABA and serotonin levels? Because I didn’t. It feels like something I should have known as a neuroscientist. It feels like I should be much more aware of the impact this incredibly common condition has on my body and brain. But the truth is that there is just so little research about it. That’s why it took measuring iron levels to really understand the concrete changes my body was going through – iron is something we can measure, and do. Something that is perhaps taken a bit more seriously.
There is an increasing amount of research being conducted on how the menstrual cycle impacts us both physically and mentally, but for a long time it was considered a nuisance variable, rather than a phenomenon to be studied in its own right. Even now, according to PubMed, only 221 studies were published on the topic of PMS in 2024, exploring impacts on quality of life and biological underpinnings. This scientific avoidance, combined no doubt with many societal factors, means that a lot of people don’t seem to realise, or at least properly internalise, the concrete biological impact that a menstrual cycle can have. In a similar way to many mental health conditions, I think recognising the biological basis of these experiences can be useful in contextualising our responses to them. Concentrating when we’re a bit tired, might look different to concentrating when going through PMS. And so the response can’t be the same, or it will often end in disappointment. Powering through isn’t as effective when you just don’t have that energy to spend.
I am a big fan of normalising our workplace struggles and being kind to ourselves. This applies to everyone going through just about everything. But I think periods is a topic this especially applies to. For many generations, periods were not discussed at all. Now I think we’re seeing an increase in people talking about the everyday impacts that they can have.
Normalising fluctuations in productivity, creativity and attentiveness.
Normalising the lived experiences of half the population whose hormones shift, and brains suffer the consequences. Normalising changes in work patterns to accommodate these shifts so we can make the most of our days without exhausting our resources. Acknowledging the impacts and genuinely exploring how we can best soften those blows, especially when dealing with cognitively intense work.
As the amount of evidence increases, hopefully we can go a step further than talking to really get a handle on Aunt Flo and her regular visits. For now, exercise, a balanced diet, and avoiding stress (haha) seem to be the best options for reducing the impact of PMS, but oral contraceptives and antidepressants can also be useful tools in the arsenal if needed. Just as you wouldn’t sit with a headache, don’t sit with your PMS. If you haven’t already, get yourself to a doctor and at least have the conversation of what can be done to help you on your journey. The truth is there’s not a whole lot right now, but you never know what might be available and what’s coming down the pipeline.
This is a blog I have wanted to write for a while, but I’ve always been put off by the implicit taboo of discussing menstrual cycles.
And therein lies the problem this little article is aimed at tackling. It might not do much, but lots of voices ‘not doing much’ is usually a good place to start. So let’s work together to normalise discussions around the impact of periods on our work and do what we can to translate conversations into concrete research. The menstrual cycle is not just a nuisance variable – it is an important biological process with a sizable impact on half the population. Remember to be kind to yourself and what your body is going through. Remember you’re not alone. And in the darkest of times of cramping and crying remember that Aunt Flo really does just suck. Period.
Rebecca Williams
Author
Rebecca Williams [1] is a PhD student at the University of Cambridge. Though originally from ‘up North’ in a small town called Leigh, she did her undergraduate and masters at the University of Oxford before defecting to Cambridge for her doctorate researching Frontotemporal dementia and Apathy. She now spends her days collecting data from wonderful volunteers, and coding. Outside work, she plays board games, and is very crafty, she also has her own YouTube Channel Becky & the Brain [2].