Lisa De Jong, period coach: ‘Menstrual health is much more complex than people think’

Roughly half the female population, or 26 per cent of the global population are of reproductive age, yet talking about menstruation or the challenges it can bring continues to be taboo. Amanda Cassidy speaks to a women’s health coach about managing pain and seeking support when it comes to our period.

Lisa de Jong wanted to find a better way to deal with her own challenging menstrual cycle.

“I think the message we're told as girls is to just put up with things, that it’s just your period," explains women's health coach. Lisa De Jong. "But in my case, my pain was so bad that I was fainting in the bathroom. I just had to find another answer."

De Jong’s journey with her own cycle and her struggle to get the right help empowered her to seek other avenues. “I’d see the doctor when it was bad, but there was only so much they could help, so I began to learn about hormones, and read books on the topic. Then I trained with an organisation in the UK called Red School in 2017.