How women feel and what our experts recommend Something’s got to be done. Three quarters of women in the UK described their period as an ‘unhappy’ experience in new survey by
Always of 2,400 women across Europe. It doesn’t have to be this way. The Greeks, for example. Nearly 70% describe their periods as happy, followed by 58% of Swiss women, 54% of Austrian women and 45% of French women. What’s up with British women and how can women learn to roll out the red carpet for their monthly visitor?
So women aren’t jumping for joy, but just how tricky can periods be? The majority of British women tend to be sanguine about the experience with most describing their periods are either ‘a minor convenience’ or a ‘natural part of life’. Others get it bad. One in twenty refers to their period as ‘horrendous’ and an almighty one in ten of 19-24 year olds are simply unable to function.
Part of the challenge seems to be the feelings that intensify during a woman’s period. The top ten aren’t pretty. Irritability comes top with 69%, followed by pain (56%), stress (49%) and anger (41%). Women in the UK are also the most likely of all nations to have more arguments with people during their period.
On the plus side, periods seem to make lots of women want some extra lovin’. Close to one in five women report heightened senses and 21% of 19-24 year olds experience heightened sex drive. Women have also come up with ways to make their period more enjoyable. Comfort food scored highest with 49% allowing themselves to indulge. Stillettos and micro-minis stay in the wardrobe of 36% of women who wear comfortable clothes and shoes instead.
What can women learn from their European sisters? Talking about your period definitey helps. The Greeks have the happiest periods and they’re also the most comfortable talking about them. They also see periods as a natural detoxification process and a cause for celebration that they are not pregnant. The French use L’Amour. As well as improving their periods by seeking attention from their loved ones, which may result from having the most increased sex drive, they are twice as likely to do the deed.
How to Have A Happier Period:
Always asked the confidence coach Dawn Breslin for her golden rules for a more positive period:
1. Women have a wonderful opportunity to experience life from a fresh perspective once a month. Dreams are more vivid and your true feelings are more in focus.
2. Choose to enjoy and appreciate the enhanced sensitivity and sensuality. The power of periods is to give women a heightened experience of their own body and femininity. Embrace it and your partner will too.
3. Don’t fall into the trap of using a period as an excuse.
4. A period is a time when your body is detoxing, so nourish yourself with healthy energising food.
About the Always ‘Talking Periods’ Study
TALKING PERIODS is a study designed to further understanding across Western Europe about the perceptions women have, the language they use and relationships they have with their periods. The purpose is to explore the positive and negative aspects of periods in the context of perceptions, feelings and impact on daily life.
The survey looks at secrets that women use to make periods less inconvenient as well as the funny and sometimes quite provocative language that is used to describe periods. It also explores the impact periods have on women’s relationships with others. The Always range of products are designed to help all women have a happier period.
'Always go with the flow'
A comedy event with the lovely Lucy Porter, Wendy Wason and Hils Barker was filmed few weeks back. The sketches were based around the research into how women react to periods across Europe. The four carefully selected clips/sketches are available for
you to watch at
www.always-info.co.uk/go_with_the_flow.html