Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1492490
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 FEBRUARY 2023 NEWS Thank you... for having bought this newspaper The good news is that we're not raising the price of our newspaper We know times are still hard, but we have pledged to keep giving our readers quality news they deserve, without making you pay more for it. So thank you, for making it your MaltaToday Support your favourite newspaper with a special offer on online PDF subscriptions. Visit bit.ly/2X9csmr or scan the QR code Subscriptions can be done online on agendabookshop.com Same-day delivery at €1 for orders up to 5 newspapers per address. Subscribe from €1.15 a week Same-day print delivery from Miller Distributors mt MARIANNA CALLEJA A 24-year-old woman from Qormi has claimed with Malta- Today that her menstrual pain issues are such a debilitating oc- currence that her sick leave de- mands have cost her a job twice. "They never tell you the real reason why you're being fired," she told MaltaToday. "But they give you verbal warnings saying you are taking too many sick leave." The woman spoke to MP Ro- sianne Cutajar, whose home constituency includes Qormi, after she read about Spain be- coming the first country in Europe to legislate menstrual leave for women. Speaking for the 24-year-old in parliament, the former parliamentary sec- retary for civil rights insisted it was time Malta discussed men- strual leave. It is a subject that will raise discussions among employers who resent having to find more days off to pay for workers. But the woman says she has suffered from back-wrench- ing, nauseous discomfort with her period for the last 10 years. "Recently I confirmed with a gynaecologist that my uterus lining is excessively thin, mak- ing my periods more painful," the woman said. Lack of sufficient oestrogen causes a thin endometrial lin- ing, however previous medical tests failed to clarify the con- dition for the woman. "At age 15, my mother began seeking medical attention, but a family doctor had asked to wait before administering me the pill." Many women are required to use hormonal contraceptives, such as birth control tablets or intrauterine devices (IUDs), to regulate their menstrual cy- cles and reduce bleeding. The 24-year-old began taking the medication at age 17, yet she continues to have a nauseating period discomfort. "They don't understand my pain and it's not only men – even women," she says of em- ployers and co-workers. "The pain is on and off, so when it is off, I am very productive: if I am given a workload, I will fin- ish that work." The woman recalls once dur- ing a shift when she was fran- tically running to and from the restroom in an attempt to throw up. The boss's wife no- ticed her and asked what was wrong. "I felt comfortable ex- plaining to her, because she is a woman like me, but once I gave her the truth, she shrugged it off," she told MaltaToday. She says couldn't give her a medical certificate for her pain so they would send her back with a certificate for stomach ache instead. "I worked as a cashier and even as a telephone operator. I have started a new job, thankfully my first period working here came during the weekend I'll have to see what happens when it comes during the week." Menstrual leave Often than not, discussions about menstrual leave as an en- titlement for worker spark an Debilitating menstrual pain can leave women unable to work, says sufferer Menstrual leave for women will raise discussions among employers who resent having to find more days off to pay for workers, but a woman who lost her job twice due to back-wrenching, nauseous discomfort from her period says the problem is a real one for female workers "They don't understand my pain and it's not only men – even women," she says of employers and co-workers. "The pain is on and off, so when it is off, I am very productive: if I am given a workload, I will finish that work."