A study of nearly 43,000 women in the Netherlands, published in 2019, found that 85% experienced painful periods, a condition also known as dysmenorrhea.
The Spanish government is set to pass a law offering three days of menstrual leave a month for workers who experience severe period pain, according to several media reports. The reform, which is part of a broader draft bill on reproductive health and abortion rights, was revealed by Cadena SER radio station and is expected to be approved at next Tuesday's Cabinet meeting — but government sources told Spanish outlet El País that the draft is "not definite" and is subjected to changes. It also includes other reforms of improving menstrual health, like requiring schools to provide sanitary pads for girls who need them and removing taxes from their sale price in supermarkets. leave for women recovering from an abortion. Other proposed measures include enabling girls aged 16 and 17 to have an abortion without having to get permission from their parents. In addition, the bill is also proposing that educational institutions must provide feminine hygiene products when necessary. Women who are more likely to experience "menstrual poverty," as well as those in prison, will also be given access to feminine hygiene products. The bill will also scrap a sales levy on these products.
"We no longer want the topic around menstruation to be taboo," Rodriguez told CBS News. "If someone has an illness with painful symptoms, a temporary sick leave is granted, so the same should happen with menstruation— allowing a woman with a very painful period should be able to stay at home."
