London - As excuses in the bedroom go, a headache is usually a woman’s first choice. But it’s certainly not the only one.
Nearly 40 percent of women have lied about being on their period to get out of doing something, new research has revealed.
From sport to sex, the “time of the month” is used as an excuse for avoiding a variety of activities.
An online survey of 1 000 women found 38 percent admitted to pretending to be having their period when it suits them.
The top reason cited was to get out of exercise, while one in seven women used it to avoid sex.
A significant number – nearly 20 percent – also used it as an excuse for a bad mood or snappy, irritable behaviour.
Others lied about where they were in their cycle as an excuse to indulge or have some relaxation time.
Yet the vast majority felt no guilt about fibbing – perhaps because nearly half of the lies were told over the phone, via SMS, social networks or email.
The research, commissioned by Panadol, also revealed that 90 percent of women suffered from period pain.
Of these, 76 percent said their pain lasted longer than a day, with nearly a quarter of women suffering from period pains for three or more days.
Previous research has indicated that up to 10 percent of women are forced to take sick leave every month as a result.
Period pain is caused by contractions in the womb during menstruation. Each one temporarily stops the blood flow, causing the tissue to be starved of oxygen.
At the same time chemicals called prostaglandins are released that induce stronger contractions and can cause more pain.
Also known as dysmenorrhoea, for some women the pain is so severe it causes vomiting and fainting.
It tends to be worse during teenage years, gradually easing off with age. – Daily Mail