“It felt like being stabbed, I’d be on my hands and knees in pain.”<\/p>\n Emily Handstock, 25 has struggled with period pain for 10 years and has documented the agony she has gone through on TikTok.<\/p>\n “I was admitted to hospital and the morphine barely touched the sides,” she said.<\/p>\n She wants other women and girls to take part in severe period pain research which could help shape education and healthcare and improve the lives of women in the future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Emily, who lives in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, has felt the agonising effects of her period since she was 15.<\/p>\n “It was horrendous bleeding, I’d have to leave school and go home and change \u2013 I’d bleed through tampons and pads,” she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n At times, she felt like she would pass out because of the pain, but felt society had “normalised” what she was going through.<\/p>\n “Throughout my teenage years I was told, ‘you’re just experiencing a painful period. You’re fine. Just have some ibuprofen and suck it up’,” she said.<\/p>\n “The mental toll is also awful, you feel like people won’t believe you and worry about being well enough for school or work.”<\/p>\n Emily works as a sales manager and said her company had been very supportive and accommodating when she struggled.<\/p>\n “I’m really lucky that I can work from home to help accommodate the pain, to make sure I’m as comfortable as I can be,” she said.<\/p>\n However, the impact of needing time off work has been a concern.<\/p>\n “I have savings, it’s something I’ve always done in the knowledge this could financially impact me by taking time off, I think that’s a real worry for lots of people who suffer that they may run out of sick days.”<\/p>\n NHS Confederation research<\/a> reported that the economic cost of taking time off due to issues such as severe period pain or ovarian cysts is estimated to be nearly \u00a311bn a year in England alone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Emily is sharing her story as a Westminster report by MPs warned women experiencing painful health conditions<\/a>, including heavy periods, were being dismissed when they asked for help.<\/p>\n It stated that medical misogyny was leaving women in pain for years and disrupted all aspects of daily life.<\/p>\n Last week, the Welsh government announced the first women’s health plan<\/a>, following similar strategies in England and Scotland.<\/p>\n It includes a focus on menstrual health, including endometriosis – something Emily has welcomed.<\/p>\n Last month, after seven years of tests and scans, Emily had surgery for stage four endometriosis, but had to “fight to be taken seriously”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Emily is encouraging those who experience severe period pain to share their experiences as part of a study based at Cardiff University, which she said was “a validating experience to be heard”.<\/p>\n Dr Robyn Jackowich is one of the researchers running the two-year Health and Care Research Wales Project.<\/p>\n It will create a list of recommendations to both education and healthcare providers.<\/p>\n “There’s certainly a need for it, given both how common it is and what an incredible impact it has on the people who experience it,” she said.<\/p>\n Dr Jackowich said severe period pain was something that can be experienced on its own or linked to other conditions, such as endometriosis or uterine fibroids<\/a>.<\/p>\n She added that severe period pain where it becomes difficult to carry out day-to-day activities was estimated it affects up to 29% of those with periods, making it hard for people to “focus, move, sleep or miss school or work”.<\/p>\n The study, which is about halfway through, is looking to speak to more people, including parents, teachers and community pharmacists as they “play a big role in young people’s education and access to healthcare”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat is severe period pain? <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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EMILY HANDSTOCK<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\")
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