Ahmedabad women fight deadlines while silently enduring period pain at work

Let My Ben Bleed: Workplaces vs Menstrual Health

Okay, let me go first. Ouch, that hurts more than that skin peel on the first finger, hurts more than the shittiest heartbreak, and hurts even more than when the sabjiwala bhaiya refuses to give extra dhaniya! Bhaisahab aap convince ho gaye ya mai aur bolu? Okay fine&hellip; Let&rsquo;s say it out loud: menstruation hurts. But what hurts more is pretending it doesn&rsquo;t.
Across Ahmedabad&rsquo;s offices, women are showing up, clocking in, and crushing deadlines while bleeding, cramping, and faking smiles through pain that would send most people home. And yet, the workplace rarely talks about it. Why? Because menstruation is still seen as &ldquo;private,&rdquo; &ldquo;awkward,&rdquo; or &ldquo;unprofessional.&rdquo; This silence isn&rsquo;t strength, it&rsquo;s suppression.
While India debates &ldquo;period leave,&rdquo; women in Gujarat are quietly building their careers in pain. No policies, no empathy, no acknowledgement. It's just an unspoken rule: don&rsquo;t make a big deal out of it.
But what if I tell you IT IS A BIG&hellip; BIG DEAL. A woman working through those excruciatingly gut-wrenching cramps is not &ldquo;weak.&rdquo; She&rsquo;s disciplined. She&rsquo;s resilient. She&rsquo;s running on sheer willpower while society still romanticises her endurance instead of questioning the system that demands it.
Pooja Menon says it best: &ldquo;They expect performance, not honesty. I could be bleeding through my soul, and they&rsquo;d still ask for &lsquo;one quick update.&rsquo; The workplace loves &lsquo;strong women,&rsquo; just not the pain that makes them strong.&rdquo;
Almost every workplace expects women to power through no matter what. Many offices may know menstruation affects productivity, but remain silent. Rina Karmur shares: &ldquo;During my internship, I felt that they do know about menstruation but don&rsquo;t speak about it&hellip; they know that periods affect the work, but they don&rsquo;t speak about it. If I could change one thing, it would be acknowledgement of period pain without making me uncomfortable.&rdquo;
Even when the environment tries to be supportive, the unspoken rules persist. Aneri Thakkar shares her experience: &ldquo;Yes, very supportive, women are even allowed extra leaves on that account.&nbsp; Even if it&rsquo;s acknowledged, the topic remains sensitive:&nbsp; Yes, I don&rsquo;t like it to be an open topic, but if I mention it, they will make sure they ease my task list and schedule for more rest.&rdquo; And sometimes, no changes are needed because the environment already provides support: &ldquo;Nothing so far.&rdquo;
Snehaa, too, describes a rare, refreshing work environment: &ldquo;My workplace is extremely supportive! They truly understand what we go through and never expect us to just go beyond limits. It&rsquo;s not taboo at all! Even male colleagues are very understanding and respectful about it, which makes the environment so comfortable. Luckily got a good workplace. Honestly, nothing! We already have the option to work just 4 hours instead of 8, so I feel completely supported &rdquo;
And Madhuri Joshi believes there&rsquo;s room for growth even within supportive spaces: &ldquo;My workplace supports me while I&rsquo;m having periods. Yes, my male colleagues and seniors are mature enough to understand menstrual pain. I would like to see a change in company policy to give one day off a month for women.&rdquo;
Maitri Raval shares, &ldquo;Just expect to &lsquo;power through.&rsquo; In fact, they don&rsquo;t even acknowledge it. I would introduce a policy that allows an employee to work from home or take flexible hours / &lsquo;period leave&rsquo; on days when symptoms are severe, without having to use up other leave or feel guilty.&rdquo;
The reality is clear: menstrual pain isn&rsquo;t weakness. Women aren&rsquo;t being dramatic; they&rsquo;re showing resilience in silence while navigating workplaces that fail to recognise biology as real.
It&rsquo;s time for corporate Gujarat to grow a spine and normalise period leave, empathy, and support, not just hollow wellness statements.
So, to every woman reading this, here are three questions to reflect on and reach out to us in the comments below:
<ol>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;" aria-level="1">
When you&rsquo;re on your period, do you feel your workplace truly supports you or just expects you to power through
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;" aria-level="1">
Do your male colleagues or seniors even acknowledge menstrual pain, or is it still an unspoken taboo?
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;" aria-level="1">
If you could change one thing about how your office handles menstruation, what would it be?
</li>
</ol>
Menstrual pain is real. Women are strong, not because workplaces ignore their biology, but despite it. And maybe, it&rsquo;s time that silence ends.

15 ઑક્ટોબર, 2025 | 19:12 IST

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