Let’s start talking openly about periods and call time on this taboo

Back in 2015, I made a passing comment that my performance at the Australian Open was down to “girl problems”. I had no idea this would generate mass headlines and positive feedback from people saying I had unintentionally broken the silence on periods. Nearly a decade later, there has been progress, but there is still a bizarre stigma around periods at work.

I am not alone in feeling this way. A survey by international charity WaterAid found that 85 per cent of working women in the UK experienced stress or anxiety when managing their periods at work. Only three per cent believed employers did enough to support them to manage their periods at work and 80 per cent felt held back to some extent by attitudes to periods in their workplace.

As a professional tennis player, my period is something I have always had to factor into my working life. It affects my energy levels, body temperature, and often makes me feel bloated, dizzy and lethargic. I have tried different treatments but with no resolution, so, when I have a match, I have to try my best to fight through it.

As well as physical effects, there is also a mental toll. Tennis is as much mental as it is physical, requiring clear thinking, and there is no doubt that my performance is affected as a result of my period.

What I wear on court also has an influence. Tennis whites are an iconic part of the sport and I have skipped my period using the pill because I did not want to bleed through clothing. Wimbledon has led the way by relaxing their all-white rule to allow women to wear dark-coloured undershorts, which is really encouraging.

I recently played a tournament in Scotland. I had started my period and, to my surprise, there were free tampons available in the bathroom – this was so helpful and felt like such a luxury. I then heard period products were free across Scotland for anyone who needed them, which is a brilliant initiative.

What a better place the world would be if this was implemented in every bathroom, worldwide. Yet globally, one in five people live without somewhere safe to go to the lavatory. For women and girls, this is particularly problematic if they do not have a private toilet to manage their periods safely and hygienically, clean water and soap to wash their hands, or access to period products in the first place. Nearly a third of schools across the world lack decent lavatories, meaning girls of menstruating age often miss school altogether.

It is a solvable problem. That is why I support WaterAid’s work to tackle period taboos and promote better menstrual hygiene and health globally. I am fortunate to have access to safe and hygienic facilities as well as an amazing network around me. My coaches, friends and family are all incredibly supportive, so I have never found periods a taboo subject to discuss personally. But, professionally, barriers remain.

I hope speaking openly about my experience helps change the stigma. In the case of tennis, this means more honest conversations to allow us to compete to the best of our abilities when on our period. Let’s call time on taboos.