Let’s do some math.
If you menstruate for roughly 38 years of your life, and your period pain affects your mood, energy, ability to show up, even just for a few days a month – we’re talking about years of your life running at less than full capacity.
What One Major Study of 21,573 Women Revealed About Period Pain
A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Women’s Health analyzed data from 38 studies and 21,573 young women across countries at every income level. We outline the findings below:
First, how common is period pain? 71.1% of young women experience it. Now that’s the majority and the rates were virtually identical whether women levied in high-income countries or low-income ones. This isn’t a problem that goes away with more resources or healthcare access. It’s universal.
Period Pain Is Quietly Affecting Performance - Every Single Month
The same study didn’t just look at how many women experienced period pain. It looked at what period pain actually costs them:
- 40.9% of women reported that period pain negatively affected their concentration or academic performance
- 20.1% of women reported missing school or university entirely because of it
That’s nearly 1 in 5 women missing class. Nearly 1 in 2 losing focus. Every month. And these numbers held up across school-age students (72.5%) and university students (74.9%) alike.
Why Has This Been Normalized for So Long?
What the data makes clear is that this is a majority experience. For generations women have had to push through their days, lectures or dinners and just get on with it.
At Wave Bye, we believe that time is the one thing you can’t get back. So why let your period steal it. Nearly 3 in 4 young women experience period pain, nearly half lose focus each month. That’s not something you should just have to live with.
Shop our cycle regulator product below! If you are interested in the full study, check it out here!
