Menstrual Health and Workplace Productivity: How to Stay Focused During Your Period

Work (in the patriarchal and capitalist sense) and having a menstrual cycle doesn’t always make the best match. Indeed, the workplace arena in many societies is shifting and conversations about menstruation and menstrual disorders in relation to work and productivity are happening, however clumsy. However, the long-standing toxic ideals and expectations of productivity that don’t consider bodily differences and chronic illnesses as realities, workers with periods and menstrual disorders are penalized by the system, whether that is having to use up all their sick days, losing pay, or ultimately being let go.  

Equity in the workplace aside, even if you are lucky enough to work for a company that allows you to work from home close to the toilet and the heat pad, just because you are more comfortable doesn’t necessarily mean you can keep grinding along at the same pace the week before. 

Some important acknowledgments before we dive into the specifics: 

• You are not lazy or a “bad worker” if you find yourself not being able to perform at the same “pace” and “productivity” rate compared to other points in your cycle. 
• You deserve to be diverse and flexible in your working habits depending on your body's needs. 

By honoring your body and its fluctuations, you are resisting toxic oppressive systems and expectations that encourage burn out, increase turnover and less sustainable working practices that, in the long run, are less productive. 

How does my period affect my productivity?  

During menstruation, your estrogen levels rise only slightly near the end and progesterone has dropped and dived low. Basically, your main hormones have experienced a flatline. Prostaglandins are being released to trigger the muscles in your uterus to contract, which results in cramping and discomfort. 

Obviously cramping and bleeding may make you less productive at work, due to the distraction that the pain may cause. However, there are some deeper neurological and chemical reasons that your work may be at a different kind of pace during your period. 

Estrogen is the social and motivation hormone, which is directly tied to your release of serotonin, or your ‘happy hormone’. With low levels of estrogen during your period, you are going to feel less outgoing, less energized and less motivated to accomplish big, boisterous tasks at work. Estrogen is also involved in many neurological functions such as fine motor control, learning, memory, sensitivity to pain and motor coordination, all of which may be impacted by the low levels of estrogen during your period.

Progesterone is our anti-anxiety and calming hormone, which keeps us mellow and grounded. Progesterone has also been linked to enhanced memory effects. Since progesterone is low during our period, this can leave us feeling slightly more reflective, depressed and inward, making putting ourselves out there at work and making big decisions difficult. 

What kind of work should I prioritize on my period? 

In terms of short-term productivity-oriented workplaces, this drop in hormones that people with periods experience on their periods is not good for the volume of deliverables. However, it doesn’t mean you can’t work or achieve a different kind of productivity. 

As mentioned above, this reduction in estrogen and progesterone results in a reflective and solitary feeling within the brain and body, making this a great time to prioritize tasks that require slow-paced and thoughtful attention. If you are able, this could look like carefully proofreading something, reviewing a recent collection of data, assessments, quarterly goal setting, or solo projects that don’t require a huge amount of collaboration and interactions with co-workers. This is your time to dig deep and move slowly in your work, and set yourself for the outgoing and mogul-making ovulation and follicular phases. 

If you don’t have the luxury of picking what kind of work you complete during your period, try your best to find the slowness and reflective opportunities in your work at this time. If you feel safe and able, communicating with your co-workers and superiors at work about how you may be less productive than usual during this time may also be an empowering step to being your own advocate. 

What kind of work should I NOT do on my period? 

This is the beginning of your cycle, so it’s important not to try and exhaust yourself with work that is much better suited for other times in your cycle. This wouldn’t be a good time to do work that requires laborious interactions with people, such as asking for a pay raise or discussing a conflict with a co-worker. That is better kept for your follicular phase when your estrogen is flying high and you are more emotionally resilient. 

Big creative brainstorms can wait until the middle of your cycle when you are experiencing the calming and anti-anxiety effects of your rise in progesterone. Whilst your period is a reflective time, it may not be the best time to instigate new projects as you may not have the energy. 

Do your best. 

Not everyone has the privilege of being able to customize their work schedule and tasks throughout their cycle, and not everyone’s workplace is accommodating of the diverse needs that people with periods may need. However, knowing what to expect of your productivity during your period can allow you to feel empowered and in control of yourself, rather than feel as though you aren’t able to work at a certain standard or that you are ‘lazy’. 

Your unique cycle is much bigger and more important than whatever deliverable is expected of you that day, week or month. The best you can do is take stock and work with what you can. 

Much love. 

Ella Adkins is a writer, teacher and occupier on the ancestral homelands of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Nations. Her work has been featured in Femme Art Review, Peripheral Review, SAD Mag, ReIssue and Public Parking.