🩺 Working Through the Pain: How a Simple Change Helped Me Reclaim My Body and Career

Woman changing sanitary pad

🩺 Working Through the Pain: How a Simple Change Helped Me Reclaim My Body and Career

By Glennae Davis, RN • Pivot. Profit. Promise. • Nurses put the care back in career™

I remember the days I tried to push through excruciating cramps, bleary-eyed and doubled over halfway through my shift. Every month, my cycle became an unrelenting storm. I called in sick at least two days each month—already exhausted, I’d reach for ibuprofen like clockwork. Over the years, that habit wrecked my stomach, leaving me with ulcers and constant heartburn. It felt like the system expected me to suck it up—until my body said “no more.”

Here’s what changed my life: I switched to natural, women‑focused pads. By avoiding the chemicals commonly found in mainstream brands—those perfumed, design‑engineered products—I reduced my flow by more than 50%. Suddenly I was spotting instead of flooding, avoiding cramps that once stopped me in my tracks. Less blood, fewer blood clots, and significantly less cramping. This meant fewer sick days, less stomach damage from meds, and less need to resort to heavy hormones or even consider a hysterectomy—simply to keep up in a workplace that operates like a man’s world.

My transformation reflects what the Department of Labor acknowledges in their guide “Let’s Talk About It: Menstruation and Menopause at Work”. It highlights how painful cramps, headaches, and anxiety are everyday issues for menstruators—and how simple workplace adjustments could dramatically improve participation and retention (dol.gov). But what they don’t say loud enough is that period products themselves can be part of the problem.

Big brands use chemicals designed to mask odor, absorb more—triggering heavier flow—and subtly push more use and profit. That extra absorption isn’t empowering—it’s exploitative. But when I switched, I reclaimed control. I bled less, felt lighter, and ciphered through shifts without two days of leave or burning through bottles of ibuprofen.

What this means for nurses:

• Empathy starts where policy meets body. DOL suggests flexibility for menstrual symptoms—and I’m living proof that product choice is equally important.

• Natural pads can reduce flow, clots, cramps, and reliance on NSAIDs, preventing both physical and financial pain.

• Less flow = fewer sick days, fewer meds, fewer stomach issues, all of which supports career longevity and avoids forced hormone therapies or surgeries simply to cope with workplace demands.

At Glennae’s RX for Life®, we help nurses develop recovery plans that honor both body and rights. That includes simple tips like switching pads, but also deeper healing through our Be Brave Book Bundle™—a tiered approach to nurse-led wellness, legal literacy, and licensure preservation.

Working Through the Pain: How a Simple Change Helped Me Reclaim My Body and Career

You deserve:

• A workplace that understands monthly health needs

• Period products that support—not sabotage—your body

• Recovery strategies that respect your worth as a nurse and a human

Doctors, nurses, and employers: listen. If the DOL says menstruators deserve accommodations—demanding access to bathrooms and breaks —then consider what else you're asking from your team. Stop forcing nurses into a monthly battle just to show up. Give them tools—or at least stop making them pay for products that worsen their cycle.

We don’t heal floors. We heal bodies. And it begins with what touches us first.

📧 contact@glennaesrxforlife.com 🌐 www.glennaesrxforlife.com