• by Tanya Gazdik , July 12, 2022

A recent Midol survey indicates about half of women continue to find it unacceptable to cancel or reschedule obligations because of period symptoms. 

The Bayer OTC period symptom reliever says it is “on a mission to encourage people to reach for relief and openly recognize their period symptoms as a real reason for taking time to themselves – because period symptoms are not something to push through.”

To that end, the brand has created a campaign talking about "The Real Reason.” A video captures reactions from friends, family, school, and work colleagues to real menstruators “calling out” of different social or work commitments due to period symptoms instead of using a fake or more “acceptable” reason. 

The effort, which is an extension of the "Comfort is Power" campaign launched earlier this year, was created in collaboration with Midol Partner Dr. Charis Chambers, OBGYN, who launched her social media platform, The Period Doctor, after recognizing an unmet need for medically accurate women’s health information and minority physician representation in social media outlets. 

“We want menstruators to feel the power in addressing their needs and the even greater power that comes from knowing their community will support them when they do,” said Kelly Fanning, general manager and vice president of pain and cardio at Bayer Consumer Health U.S,. in a release. “Our hope is this campaign helps normalize the conversation around period symptoms and help menstruators realize that speaking and acting on your period truth is powerful.”

While the period positivity movement has made strides in normalizing taboo topics, they largely remain sources of individual discomfort. Only 43% of menstruators know how to have a comfortable, open dialogue about their period with peers, according to the study.