Laura Byrne has opened up about a “frustrating invalidation” she says is a common experience for women.
Speaking on Life Uncut, the podcast she hosts with friend and fellow Bachelor alum Brittany Hockley, the 38-year-old said many women will have their feelings dismissed by people in their lives as being a result of their period.
“It is such a sometimes frustrating invalidation, because this is what women deal with, often their very real frustrations in life are reduced down to this idea that ‘it’s because you are hormonal or you are about to get your period’,” Byrne said.
Watch the video above.
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She continued to share that this is something she believes “a lot of women have experienced at some point”, with a woman’s partner or friends often asking “are you getting your period?” in response to her feeling emotional.
The radio host’s comments came from a wider conversation she and Hockley had during their latest podcast episode about Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), speaking with endocrinologist Dr Isobelle Smith..
PMDD is a ”very severe kind of premenstrual disorder,” according to The Royal Women’s Hospital, which can cause severe emotional symptoms.
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Acknowledging people who may experience this disorder, Byrne shared that she can “only imagine” this kind of invalidation “would be very frustrating” as their struggles are narrowed down to “just getting [their] period”.
Byrne herself says while she doesn’t think she has PMDD, she struggles with her mood in the days leading up to her period.
“I feel as though I am depressed for a couple of days beforehand,” she said.
Byrne said the way her mood is affected in the lead up to her has become a “bit of a joke” in her household but she’s not a fan of the stereotype of a woman’s emotions being tied to her period.
“A part of me hates that stereotype,” she said.
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In response, Dr Smith clarified that there is some validity to associating one’s emotional symptoms with their hormonal changes.
“These are real symptoms that people are experiencing due to hormonal changes,” she says.
But she continued to explain that a partner or friend “saying ‘oh you’re just being hormonal’ of course is completely invalidating how you’re feeling”.
Later in the episode, she also touched on the unfortunate reality that many women’s health issues have historically not received enough attention.
“Well medicine historically has had a terrible reputation of invalidating women’s experience with healthcare,” Dr Smith said.
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