She said a single paid day each month risks being tokenism; it won’t solve underlying health problems and may create practical workplace concerns.
Published Oct 15, 2025 | 9:28 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 15, 2025 | 9:28 AM
Menstruation. Representative Image. (iStock)
Synopsis: Dr Hema Diwakar, Core Chairman and CEO, ARTIST Division Director at the International Forum of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, discusses the medical, social and workplace implications of the Karnataka government’s policy granting women one paid menstrual leave every month.
The Karnataka government recently announced a policy granting women one paid menstrual leave every month, applicable across government, private, IT and industry units.
Speaking to South First, Dr Hema Diwakar, Core Chairman and CEO, ARTIST Division Director at the International Forum of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, discusses the medical, social and workplace implications of this policy.
Q: From a medical point of view, do women actually need rest during their periods, or can they continue working as usual?
A. Menstruation is a recurring monthly event (typically three to five days) from menarche to menopause, and experiences vary widely. Many women carry on with normal activities, while a smaller group suffer severe symptoms — intense pain, heavy bleeding, mood disturbances — that force them to miss school, work or travel.
However, since symptoms can begin two or three days before bleeding, a single day off each month does not address the real pattern of need.
The issue isn’t simply “rest” or “no rest” — it’s recognising who needs medical attention and why. For most, continuing routine activities (with adjustments if needed) is fine; for others, targeted diagnosis and treatment are necessary so they can return to normal life rather than relying on symbolic leave.
Q: What should be done medically?
A. Every woman in school, college or employment should have access to well-woman wellness checks to identify what’s preventable, avoidable or requires early attention. Treatable causes of menstrual distress — heavy bleeding, anaemia, endometriosis — need tests and remedies, not a token day off.
We also encourage active symptom management. Exercise, dance, yoga and other activities release endorphins and often reduce pain, helping many women maintain routines while investigations proceed for those who need further care.
Q: But isn’t this a progressive method that the government has adopted towards wellness checks?
A. A single paid day each month risks being tokenism; it won’t solve underlying health problems and may create practical workplace concerns. Employers could worry about reliability on crucial days, and women hiring women might fret over potential disruption. These are genuine, practical worries that policymakers must acknowledge.
If you are the CEO, and a woman, of a major organisation who respects and empathises with women —it’s not only men who are expected to do so — we should know what the problems are.
These kinds of policies create a loophole for demanding unnecessary leaves on crucial days. I don’t think that announcing one day of leave could be viewed as great progress.
Rather than a rigid one-day rule, a more meaningful step would be a mandated and accessible wellness check for girls and women with flexible and medically justified leave provisions crafted with expert input, so that health needs are met without unintentionally disadvantaging women.
Q: Won’t this kind of policy normalise conversations around period health?
A. A one-day leave is not the strongest route to normalise conversation — education, media, and social platforms provide better, sustained opportunities to change attitudes. Over the last 20 years, awareness has already improved among men and boys, and cultural outlets can accelerate that shift more effectively than a symbolic leave day.
Clinically, research and treatments now address roughly 80 percent of menstrual problems, so that women could continue their routines. The focus should be on diagnosis, treatment and destigmatising activities during menstruation. Only truly severe cases should restrict normal life pending investigation and remedy.
Q: What symptoms genuinely prevent work or study?
A. Symptoms range from bloating, migraine and abdominal cramps to breast pain, severe backache, exhaustion, excess bleeding and mood swings. The two most impactful issues are severe pain and heavy bleeding — these can be debilitating and warrant medical attention rather than simple symptom-masking with pills.
Many women self-medicate and push through, which we discourage; bleeding and pain often have treatable internal causes (for example, fibroids) and addressing the root cause can dramatically improve functioning. Stress reduction (yoga, meditation) also helps reduce symptom severity.
Q: Are there any commonly misunderstood medical conditions?
A. Yes. Cervical stenosis (a very narrow cervical opening) can make menstrual flow painfully obstructed and may need dilation. Endometriosis — deposits of tissue on the ovaries or around the uterus — causes severe, often surgical-level pain if untreated.
Adenomyosis and fibroids change uterine function and lead to heavy bleeding and cramps; sometimes, hormonal imbalance is the issue, and regulated hormone therapy helps. Many causes are physical and treatable, so investigation is essential rather than dismissing pain as “normal”.
Q: If the policy goes national, will it cause social or employment problems?
A. National policy should include medical vetting to confirm genuine inability to cope; while misuse is possible, verification can protect those who truly need help and reduce misuse. Sensible safeguards (confidential medical certification, periodic wellness checks) can limit exploitation.
Crucially, rules must be designed to avoid disadvantaging women in hiring or promotion — flexibility, confidentiality and expert input are needed so the policy supports health without becoming a hiring liability.
Q: When you talk about pain management from a wellness point of view, what checks should women go through?
A. For women 20 years and older: haemoglobin, blood pressure, blood sugar, Body Mass Index (BMI), breast exam, cervical cancer screening, and bone-health checks are basic. Ultrasound/scanning is often the first tool to detect treatable causes of pain and excessive bleeding.
Annual checks (or biennial for younger girls), targeted investigations for irregular or severe symptoms, and integrated preventive advice empower women to manage cycles proactively rather than defaulting to leave.
Q. Any message for women and for the government?
A. To women: Seek diagnosis and treatment rather than using leave as a default. If your condition is correctable, address it; if you can cope, continue your goals — don’t let this become an excuse.
To government and employers: Consult medical experts, build flexibility into rules (one size won’t fit all), offer well-women checks and workplace accommodations, and craft measures that respect dignity rather than providing symbolic fixes.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
