That not-very-nice voice is getting quieter, though. I’ve been battling it with community, facts and self-empathy. The truth is that I’m not alone, no matter how lonely it feels to have abnormally heavy periods. About one in three women describe their period as heavy and one in 20 women consult their doctor every year about this problem. Endometriosis affects one in 10 women and those assigned female at birth, as does PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) — heavy periods can be a symptom of both conditions. At a club recently, as I whispered to my friends that I had to leave despite only just arriving (because my period came unexpectedly), I looked around at all the sweaty bodies. I calculated that dozens of people in that room must experience abnormal periods yet my instinct has always been to feel isolated and envious. Holding onto these facts has helped anchor me. So many of us are in this together but we have been conditioned to soldier on in painful silence rather than finding camaraderie or demanding better treatment.
