Opinion

May 21, 2025

Should companies offer period leave?

Dealing with menstruation at work remains an issue, but not everyone is convinced period leave is a good way to solve it

Every month when my period rolls around, my body whips up a kind of chaos that can be unbearable at times. I get extreme headaches, muscle pain and cramps that make me unable to sit upright. Sometimes I’m so nauseous I have to work from home to stay near a toilet in case I need to vomit. I often get irritable, sad and anxious, making it hard to leave the house for work — or even be around people. And I know I’m not alone. For many who menstruate, severe symptoms, both mental and physical, make daily life incredibly tough.

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Miriam Partington

Miriam Partington was a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covered the DACH region and the future of work, and wrote Startup Life , a weekly newsletter on what it takes to build a startup.

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