Jade
Jade is 17. She started her period at home in lockdown, and hadn’t known much about periods before then. She has cramps, especially for the first 4 days. She manages these with ibuprofen, and hot water bottles, which work well for her. She has to take her own medication to school for when it starts unexpectedly or wears off in the middle of the day, and has learned to manage this. She rarely has to miss a whole day of school because of period pain, but sometimes it is unbearable or she is sick, and she has to go home early. She works as a waitress and this is difficult to manage, because she might not be able to have a break when she needs to take her next dose of painkillers, so when they wear off, she feels really awful. She hasn’t ever had to do home though, and hasn’t felt able to speak to her bosses at work about this. She considered going to see a GP to ask for hormonal contraception, and got as far as making an appointment, but then what she learned about the side effects put her off, so she cancelled it. She is considering going back now. She finds talking about periods a bit awkward, but thinks it would be good if people were less afraid to do so. She thinks schools could make access to toilets, period products, and pain medication easier for people with periods.
More about me...
Jade felt her education about periods focussed on women being able to become pregnant. She wondered whether being at a religious school might have influenced this.
Jade felt her education about periods focussed on women being able to become pregnant. She wondered whether being at a religious school might have influenced this.
And did you get it in Year... primary school at all? Did they ever tell you anything; did you get the kinda talk about pads at primary school?
In Year 6, we just... like right at the end of Year 6, they pushed it right back, but we... all we really did in primary was that we just learn about like our body parts. And that was kind of all they did right at the end. And they told us about like a woman can get pregnant, and then they were like: “How’d you feel? Educated? I bet.” And that was kind of it.
OK. So not so much about periods.
No, but I did go to a Roman Catholic primary school,—
Ah.
—so that could have affected it.
At Jade’s school, some teachers have a red sticker on their badge, which means you can talk to them about health or periods or ask for support.
At Jade’s school, some teachers have a red sticker on their badge, which means you can talk to them about health or periods or ask for support.
Not that bad, In my school we have teachers that, like... we have like little signs up in the girls’ toilets that tell you to find a teacher with a red sticker on their badge, or something, and if they have that, then you go to them and talk to them about health and...
Is that about health things or about period things?
Period things, mostly.
OK. And is that pain as well as bleeding?
I think so, yeah. I haven’t had to use it ’cause I have my own bag of supplies, but... yeah.
Mm, OK. And do you have pads and things in the school toilets? Can you get those, or do you have to go and find a teacher with a red dot?
You have to find the red sticker.
OK. And is the red sticker on the door or on the teacher? Like, do you know who they are?
I think it’s on their... I think it’s on their badge. They’re like... I don’t know. I say that like I haven’t got my own badge for sixth form, but yeah, they’ve got it on their badge.
OK. OK. But you don’t happen to know who they are? You... you’ve not needed to do that?
I don’t know who they are. I can probably guess who some of them are, but there’s probably people that I know would wear a red... red sticker, but I don’t know who they are specifically.
OK. OK. But you’ve kind of managed to avoid that by... by... by being kitted out.
Yeah. Yeah, well, it’s just like that sign’s not very helpful because it just says to find a teacher with a red dot, and you don’t know which ones have red dots on them, so...
No. And... and if you... I guess if you need a product in the toilet...?
Yeah, it’s just... yeah. I get they’re helping. That is helpful if I plan ahead, so...
Jade works as a waitress. If she is working with male colleagues, she finds it difficult to talk about her period pain, which can make it harder to manage her shifts and pain relief.
Jade works as a waitress. If she is working with male colleagues, she finds it difficult to talk about her period pain, which can make it harder to manage her shifts and pain relief.
Yeah. So how long would the ibuprofen help you for?
For the first three or four hours of the shift, I’m feeling breezy, and it’s fine, but then it slowly, it’s like: “Ooh, guys, I don’t know if I can handle this much longer,” but... yeah. If my friends are working, I say it, but I don’t say it to anyone else; I keep it to myself.
OK. And so, if you were on shift with one of your friends, you’d be able to say, “Oh my, this is grim”?
Yeah.
But if you were on with people you didn’t know as well?
I just keep it to myself.
OK. What about kinda managers or... or supervisors?
I don’t really tell them anything.
Mm, OK, OK. Do... do you know... have any kinda thoughts on why or what... what might make you not think about telling them?
’cause most of them are men and it’s just like: ‘ouu, guys, this is awkward.’
Yeah.
So... yeah.
OK. And that’s really interesting. So, do you have a kinda sense that it... that... that it might be a little bit awkward talking to men?
Yeah.
Have you ever tried?
Not really.
OK.
I’ve had friends who have tried in like school, and stuff, and it’s just, doesn’t sound very fun.
Jade made an appointment with a GP, but cancelled it because she was worried about the side effects of hormonal contraception. She is still considering this!
Jade made an appointment with a GP, but cancelled it because she was worried about the side effects of hormonal contraception. She is still considering this!
And have you ever gone to see like a GP or a school nurse about your periods?
No.
No. Have you ever thought about it?
I don’t think so. I wanted to go on the pill to stop my periods, but I thought that I’ll just bust through them.
So where did you come across the idea that you can use the pill for your periods; do you know... remember where you heard about that?
My friend is on the pill.
OK. And then you thought maybe that’s a good idea?
It was just like: “I don’t have any periods, I don’t have any pain,” and I was like: ‘wow, that’s the life,’ that sounds really good now I’m thinking about it.
OK. But you decided not to do it?
Yeah, I just thought, ‘oh, maybe I should just bust through it.’ I don’t know. I don’t know why I didn’t do it, but I just was like: “Ooh, I’m gonna cancel that actually, guys.”
Oh, so did you... so you made a... you got as far as making an appointment?
Yeah.
OK. Can you remember what put... and you sort of changed your mind? Can you remember what put you... was it anything about the pill that put you off? Or was it the idea of going to the doctor, or you just decided it wasn’t for you? Can you remember what sort of made you think you’d cancel it?
It was probably a lot of the, like, side effects of it, and I was like: “Ouu, guys, I don’t wanna gain weight. Ouu, I don’t wanna feel awful all the time,” I’d rather just feel awful than on... on the month I’m suffering, or week I’m suffering.
OK, yeah. So, it was more the worry about the side effects of the pill that put you... put... put you off?
Yeah.