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Menstruation at work: Get out of the taboo

For many menstruating women, menstrual cramps are not uncommon and they are one thing above all: extremely exhausting. Especially when the pain reaches its maximum and you then have to drag yourself to work, often only painkillers help you get through the working day in a reasonably productive manner. In addition to the pain, menstruation is also a topic that is often kept quiet - especially in the work context. Unfortunately, most menstruating women cannot count on period products in the company either. Why the Menstruation at work In this blog post you will find out why menstruation is an important topic and what influence it has on work.

Menstruation at work - an important issue

You start working for a company and one thing is guaranteed: a fruit basket and coffee for free. But what about needs beyond food and drink that menstruating people have? Because what you as a menstruating person may not be able to expect on site are Period products , if your period is noticeable at work. The probability that you will have your period at work is not exactly small. So if you have forgotten your products or your period starts spontaneously, it could be critical. We think that companies should normalize and remove the taboos around periods - and this includes making period products available. This can, for example, ensure that menstruating women feel a little more comfortable at work during their period. Providing period products in the company bathroom would be a first step towards Period-friendliness - of course, reusable products are better than disposable ones. ;) Our washable tampons or  Bind made from organic cotton.

If you can't find any period products at work, our Taynies can help you out. Depending on the intensity of your period, you can even wear our period underwear for 8 to 12 hours and get through your working day. Take a look at www.taynie.de around.🙂

Find the right Taynie for you.Discover our diversity!

Shameful menstruation in everyday working life

Unfortunately, menstruation is and remains a topic that is very shameful and is preferred to be kept secret rather than spoken about openly.This may be one of the reasons why the topic of menstruation is not yet really integrated into the work context. A study by the BMJ also shows how much Feeling of shame the topic of menstruation actually triggers: Only a maximum of 20% of people who did not go to work due to period pain told their employer the real reason for their absence.

Maybe you have heard of the so-called Menstrual leave , also known as “menstrual leave”, which Spain was the first country in Europe to introduce in early June 2023. This is a law that allows menstruating women to take severaldays per month "menstruation-free". Menstruating women then need a certificate and still receive their wages during this time. We think that's a good thing. Menstruating women therefore have to put up with the most painfuldays n their period, and not hiding the fact that they have period pain. That would be another step towards ending the period taboo. If you want to find out more about the topic of menstrual leave, read our blog post on the subject.

Is menstruation a reason to stay at home?

The majority of menstruating women suffer from pain during their period. However, their job does not stop at period pain and they still have to go to work. Many people may then ask themselves whether their period is even a reason to stay at home. We think: Yes, definitely. This is also shown by the period leave mentioned above, which has been around in Asia for a long time. In Germany, the idea was discussed in March 2023, but there may not be any menstrual leave in this country any time soon.


What you can do if you have severe period pain is to get a sick note. Not to mention that many people prefer to keep quiet about the real reason for the sick note. Even better would be a open approach with the topic of menstruation and transparent rules for everyone in the office. For example, the employer could Home Office react to menstrual cramps to relieve those affected. After all, working from home would probably be a lot more pleasant and effective during this time. At least you are in your usual environment, where you feel comfortable, and you can sit in front of your laptop with a hot water bottle. This is really easy to do with our  Taynie Heat Belt Thanks to the Velcro fastener, you can use the heat from the integrated hot water bottle wherever you need it - and nothing will slip.🙂

Impact of menstruation on work: period and productivity

For many people, periods with various symptoms and additional work in the office mean one thing above all: stress. Stress and the resulting release of the stress hormone cortisol in your body can then further intensify period pains - a classic vicious circle. How stress You can also find out more about how it affects the menstrual cycle in our Blog post  in addition.


You have probably already had to deal with various period problems. Typical menstrual problems can include the following: abdominal pain, headaches or back pain, lack of energy and ability to concentrate or mood swings. These are all complaints that can affect performance at work or even distract you from work.The result?  Lack of productivity This is also shown by a Dutch study on period pain and productivity in the workplace. A total of over 30,000 menstruating women between the ages of 15 and 45 were surveyed. It emerged that 80% of people do show up at work, but that this leads to a major loss of productivity. Over 22,000 menstruating women would like more flexible working hours and tasks so that they can work from home during their period. Here, too, it is clear that period leave or working from home would be a relief for menstruating women and can lead to more productivity. So it's time to open the eyes of superiors!

Menstruation in the workplace - what can companies do?

Unfortunately, the above points are not the solution to all our (period) problems in the workplace. There are other things that companies can introduce to create a  period-friendly workplace and to show employees that menstruation is not a taboo subject. We have summarised what these could be.

Little “period-attentions” 
Fruit basket all well and good. Small gestures to make the working day more pleasant for menstruating women can be very helpful. How about hot water bottles for period pain or back pain? Heat relaxes cramps and works wonders. Various herbal teas can also be beneficial. Or how about snacks for small hunger pangs during menstruation?


Period-friendly workplace

Periods can really get on our nerves and stress us out. On top of that, we may have difficulty concentrating. As a company, Breaks It can be useful and accommodating to offer certain Rest areas in the company can help menstruating women to take a short break so that they can then clear their minds for work. Of course, these are not only useful for menstruating people, but also for other employees in open-plan offices.

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