Each woman has a completely different experience with their periods than the next with the types and level of severity of symptoms differing from person to person.

With this in mind, Forth has conducted a survey of 1,000 UK women aged between 18 and up who aren’t using HRT, hormonal birth control, or gel.

By analysing the demographics behind the survey results, we are able to visualise trends in certain regions or cities.

The data revealed only 9% of West Midlanders and 15% of the North West feel comfortable discussing their period symptoms with their GP. This is compared, to the 19% of all survey respondents that said they feel comfortable talking with their doctor.

Analysing cities in these regions, 7% of Birmingham felt comfortable with their GP while 31% of Manchester signified a slight improvement.

Interestingly, 54% of Londoners who had previously sought advice from their doctor believe their queries weren’t taken seriously, compared to the national figure of 30%. Furthermore, 57% of Londoners stated they didn’t receive the support they needed to manage symptoms.

There are ultimately different approaches to minimalising period symptoms. In the East of England, 43% of women surveyed shared that they had taken a home blood test. This was a stark difference to the West Midlands where 87% of women had not.

Overall, only 24% of the women surveyed have used a home blood test to find out more about their symptoms.

When quizzed on how much time women have been forced to take off work due to their periods, the results varied across different cities.

One-third (33%) of women in Liverpool stated they had taken a day off, the national figure was 9%. Additionally, 37% of those from Brighton had taken two days off (the national average is 15%) while 40% of Cambridge women had taken three full days off work, substantially more than the national average of 20%.

When a sick day was needed due to period pain, the survey revealed only 9% of Londoners disclosed the true reason to their line manager, the national average was 27%. This is a huge difference from the 51% of the South East who spoke to their manager regarding the reason for their absence.

Astonishingly, 88% of Cambridge respondents claimed that they have previously lost a job due to sick days for period symptoms. Aberdeen had a similar response with 85% of women stating the same. Overall, 51% of women surveyed responded that they have lost a job due to time off.

Lastly, when asked if they believe there is substantial support available for women suffering from their period symptoms, the results were mixed across different regions.

38% of survey respondents in Northern Ireland believe there is more than enough support for women, meanwhile, 33% of Welsh respondents believe there is simply enough support.

On the other hand, a whopping 63% of Yorkshire survey respondents believe there isn’t enough support on hand for women suffering from severe symptoms.