Today, as part of International Women’s Day, we are very pleased to be joining the Big Give Women and Girls Fundraising Appeal, in a bid to raise awareness, normalise conversations, and tackle stigma around ‘period problems’.

From Tuesday 8 March, The Women and Girls Fund will go live and run for one week, during which time our supporters can donate and have their contributions doubled through matched fundraising. To hit our fundraising target of £20,000, we are aiming to raise £10,000. 

We are raising funds for a new educational resource on common, yet hidden and neglected gynaecological health conditions, such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and fibroids. 

These conditions can lead to irregular or absent periods, heavy bleeding, period pains, fertility problems, nausea and other symptoms. 

Sadly, women and girls can wait many years for a diagnosis and these symptoms can have a significant impact on quality of life. 

Some key statistics: 

• 49% of girls have missed a day of school because of their period
• 1 in 3 women suffer from heavy menstrual bleeding
• Endometriosis affects 1.3 million women and 8 years is the average time it takes for a diagnosis
• A third of women will develop a fibroid, usually between the ages of 30-50
• PCOS symptoms usually appears in teens or early 20s, and is a leading cause of treatable infertility

The online resource will provide accurate, comprehensive and engaging information on menstrual health, for a general audience, including women, healthcare professionals, and anyone with an interest in women’s health. It will be developed by leading experts, including top doctors and academics.

Dr Nighat Arif, a GP and Resident Doctor for BBC Breakfast and ITV This Morning, said: "It's important that women and girls don’t feel like they have to put up with any period problems. And they certainly shouldn’t feel embarrassed. The shame and stigma, caused by lack of awareness and education across society, harms women and girls, and creates many barriers for when they try to seek help. We must change this.

"To help address these problems, I am supporting Wellbeing of Women, which is raising funds for more in depth and accurate information on the importance of menstrual health."

Janet Lindsay, CEO of Wellbeing of Women, said: "Despite being a normal and natural part of life, periods are still shrouded in stigma and taboo. Sadly, many women and girls still aren’t able to speak openly about their periods and, in particular, when they have problems, such as heavy bleeding, pain, or an irregular cycle. 

"We want to improve information and education on period problems and remove the barriers that women and girls face when trying to access medical advice, treatment and support on these hidden and neglected gynaecological health conditions.”

Kat Francois, a personal trainer who lives in London and an advocate for women’s health, spent many years suffering from heavy bleeding and pain before being diagnosed with adenomyosis. She said:  “I had periods that pushed me to the brink of sanity. I would be vomiting for 4 or 5 days, and the vomiting would not stop until I went to hospital and was given anti-sickness injections. The pain was so bad, you’d want to smash your head against the wall.

“It is really important for charities to raise awareness of period problems which receive very little attention. We need more funding for medical research and more education to ensure menstrual health is a priority and women and girls do not suffer like I did."

Maureen Busby, who lives in Northern Ireland, discovered she had PCOS after reading about the symptoms in a medical book, and has also had heavy bleeding due to a fibroid and polyps. She said:“The bleeding was so heavy that I couldn’t go out very much. I went to work and came home and was exhausted because of the anaemia. No one tells you about heavy bleeding – how heavy is heavy bleeding? If something’s not normal for you, then you need to ask about it. It can be very debilitating, worrying about your clothing and leaking.” 

We are raising funds through the Big Give’s matched funding campaign from 8 to 15 March. If you would like to donate, please head to our Big Give page. Every £ donated will be doubled!

Update! The Big Give Appeal has been extended until 12pm on Tuesday 22 March. While we have reached our target of £20,000, you can continue to donate and help us to launch our new campaign on period problems!