Most women ‘feel too awkward to discuss period cramps at work’

‘It’s time we banished the taboos,’ says health expert

Some workers worried they would be criticised as lazy if they spoke up (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Most women would rather suffer in silence with a female-specific health condition at work than tell their employer, polling suggests.

Of 2,000 women surveyed for Simplyhealth, six in 10 said they would not feel comfortable discussing menstrual cramps, smear tests, breast examinations or menopause with their manager, even if they were experiencing physical or mental strain because of them.

The main reasons for staying quiet were awkwardness (40 per cent), embarrassment (36 per cent) and a fear of being portrayed as a slacker to colleagues (22 per cent).

Women were not only found to be tight-lipped in the workplace. One-quarter of the women polled did not discuss post-pregnancy issues with family or friends.

Simplyhealth’s clinical director, Catherine Rutland, said: “No one should suffer in silence and our survey shows that too many women in the UK are doing just that.

“Whether that is at work, or in their personal life, women are feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed discussing perfectly normal health concerns.

“It’s time we broke down those barriers and banished the taboos.”

Pollsters also found that 47 per cent of employed respondents did not think their bosses understood health issues, 43 per cent worried they would be viewed as weak if they discussed them, and 47 per cent did not think their issue would be recognised as an illness.

The survey also found that 13 per cent of respondents had suffered miscarriages, and had not told their employer. More than one-quarter of those kept quiet because they feared it would impact their career.

It also emerged that three in 10 professionals have lied to an employer about time off work.

Only one in 10 going through menopause had felt comfortable approaching their manager for time off. In comparison, 40 per cent had asked for permission to see a dentist.

Loss of concentration (40 per cent), crumbling anxiety (39 per cent) and debilitating hot flushes (35 per cent) were among some of the menopausal symptoms people admitted to hiding at work.