I woke up on the floor of my local bodega, drenched in sweat, being dragged into an ambulance. Two male paramedics hovered over me.
I had passed out because of period pain.
Still, I’ve put on a blazer and gone to work. I’ve sat in committee hearings nauseous from the excruciating pain, quietly breathing to make my way through it. I’ve given speeches at rallies and run town halls while my body was in full revolt. I smiled for photos while silently wondering if I might faint right then and there. And it’s not just the pain itself, but the severe anxiety that can start more than a week before.
This isn’t rare. My childhood best friend and I have been trading horror stories about our periods for years. We are part of the 50% of women who experience period pain and the 15% of women whose period pain is so debilitating that it disrupts work or school.
Across the U.S., millions of women have to choose between working through unbearable pain, losing income they can’t afford to go without, or tapping into a limited number of sick days that then won’t be there if they have the flu or a doctor’s appointment. For low-wage workers, the choices are even more limited, with no work from home or sick leave options.
I’m introducing legislation to give workers up to 12 days of paid leave a year for reproductive health. It would cover period pain, yes, but also menopause symptoms, IVF, miscarriages, endometriosis flare-ups, and more. And it isn’t just for women—men could leverage the policy to get a vasectomy or fertility treatments. It’s a policy that’s inclusive, smart, and cost-effective.
Period pain, endometriosis, and menopause aren’t like getting the flu, where you only feel unwell one or two times a year; they are frequent and recurring. IVF and fertility treatments often last months. Sick leave plans meant for the occasional seasonal cold or annual check-up aren’t designed to cover these circumstances. We need a national reproductive health leave policy.
I may be the youngest woman serving in Congress, but this pain is older than me, older than my mother, older than my grandmothers. They endured it in silence. Future generations shouldn’t have to.
When we start speaking honestly about this pain, and when we finally pass policies that recognize it, we can change what’s possible for every generation that comes after us.
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