women and adolescent girls worldwide menstruate.
Evidence & Resources
Menstruation and working life
Periods are common. Disabling symptoms should not be treated as inevitable.
Menstrual experiences vary. Pain, heavy bleeding, fatigue, migraine, gastrointestinal symptoms and mood changes can affect participation in work, while stigma and inadequate facilities can make that impact harder to manage.
Health, healthcare and work are connected.
Global evidence snapshot
Scale, context and equity matter.
experience pain with menstrual bleeding; a smaller group experience very severe pain.
people who menstruate lack the materials and facilities needed for menstrual health and dignity.
What the evidence says
Start with what is established.
01
The health evidence
WHO estimates that 2.1 billion women and adolescent girls menstruate worldwide and reports that more than two in three experience pain with menstrual bleeding.
02
The wider context
Heavy, unpredictable or very painful bleeding can indicate an underlying condition and deserves timely assessment rather than automatic normalisation.
03
What matters
Menstrual health includes access to accurate information, appropriate facilities, materials, timely care and freedom from stigma.
Working-life lens
The impact can appear in more than absence.
01
Capacity and participation
Symptoms may affect concentration, mobility, stamina, attendance and the ability to work comfortably or safely.
02
Systems and access
Access to clean private facilities, breaks, temperature control and flexible work arrangements can materially affect the experience.
03
Trust and disclosure
Fear of embarrassment or being dismissed can delay disclosure and healthcare seeking.
From evidence to practice
Support begins with a respectful, individual response.
01
Listen first
Treat reported impacts as real without demanding intimate detail.
02
Design practical support
Explore practical, time-limited adjustments and review what is working.
03
Protect dignity
Ensure facilities, uniforms, break arrangements and work design do not create avoidable barriers.
Women Working Well’s research purpose
What Women Working Well is seeking to understand.
Women Working Well exists to investigate the questions that remain unseen or unanswered: what is missing from the evidence, whose experiences are under-represented, and how women’s health, healthcare, working life and life beyond work connect. These topic-specific priorities help shape the Global Women and Work Study.
01
What is missing
Global workplace evidence remains uneven across occupations and countries.
02
Who is under-represented
Absence data alone misses presenteeism and the personal effort required to remain at work.
03
What research should connect
Research must distinguish ordinary variation from symptoms that significantly disrupt life.
Sources and further reading
Global evidence and authoritative guidance.
These sources support the key statements on this page. Statistics are contextual, time-bound and should be read with their source definitions. Evidence from one country, occupation or health condition should not automatically be generalised to all women.
Important: This page provides general evidence and workplace information. It is not medical, legal or employment advice and does not replace individual clinical care or professional advice.
Keep exploring
See the connected evidence picture.
Return to the Evidence & Resources Hub or explore the Global Women and Work Study.
Evidence & Resources →