It’s hard enough dragging yourself to work when you're suffering period pain, but now it seems that our time of the month can actually affect our performance on the job
Period pain affects 40 per cent of women regularly, and is the leading cause for women in their teens and twenties to miss school and work. A new study has shown however that when we do make the effort to show up, our work may not be completely up to scratch.
Psychologists claim that period pains can reduce our attention spans, making us slower, less accurate and less able to switch between multiple tasks. Results of the research conducted at the University of Bath’s Department of Psychology investigated 52 women and the effects of menstruation on performance, by asking them to complete computer-based tasks when they were on and off their period.
Those suffering from pain had a lower standard of performance as they found it harder to distribute their attention across tasks, showing that the effect of period pains can often be overlooked.
Dr Ed Keogh, leader of the study, said: “They [women who were menstruating] were slightly slower or slightly less accurate than when they’re not in pain.
“This shows that the effects of pain go beyond the sensory experience, affecting what we think and feel."