Many women across Lincolnshire struggle to get support for period problems

Healthwatch Lincolnshire believes women across the county are suffering in silence with period issues.

The watchdog published a report last year which found there was also a lack of both knowledge and interest in menstrual health among healthcare professionals.

It comes as charity Wellbeing of Women has launched a new period symptom checker to help women and girls understand more about their menstrual cycle.

The checker, which takes just four minutes to complete, asks various questions about health and reproductive symptoms.

Once complete, it drafts a letter for women to give to their GP which can help open discussions about symptoms.

A group recognised that there was something wrong and that they needed help and support

"I think suffering in silence, it was certainly a sentiment that came out through the experiences shared with us," says Hannah Darley, Healthwatch Lincolnshire.

"They're almost appear to be two groups."

"You had one group who initially thought that heavy, painful periods and other symptoms such as severe mood swings and low mood were normal."

"And then you had a second group who had recognised that there was something wrong and that they needed help and support."

"But they reached out for that, and they often felt and had been ignored."

In December, the Women and Equalities Committee of MPs concluded that many girls are leaving school not knowing what constitutes a "normal" period.

The hard-hitting report from the Committee said that "medical misogyny" is leading to women living with unnecessary pain for years as reproductive conditions go undiagnosed.

It had a devastating impact on all aspects of their life, not just their physical health, but their mental health

"There were hundreds of comments of individuals who had suffered with debilitating symptoms for months and in some cases years, particularly for those who had suspected endometriosis," says Hannah Darley.

"As you can imagine, it had a devastating impact on all aspects of their life, not just their physical health, but their mental health, missing school, not being able to socialize and not being able to work."

Local health bodies have recommended that Healthwatch Lincolnshire's findings are considered when planning the Women's Health strategy for the county.

“It’s never easy to hear when any patient reports not feeling as though they have been listened to," said Dr Michael Mulholland, honorary secretary at the Royal College of GPs.

"Women's health is a key part of the RCGP curriculum that all GPs in training must demonstrate competence of before they are able to practise independently as a GP, and we will continue to support initiatives like Wellbeing of Women's Period Symptom Checker to raise awareness.

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