We’ve been told to just “get on with it.” That pain is normal. That hormones make us overreact. But for many young women, periods aren’t just a monthly inconvenience — they’re a debilitating, misunderstood, and often dismissed struggle.

In this deeply personal and eye-opening episode of The SHE Word – Young Women’s Edition, host Sasha Vella leads an honest conversation about problem periods: cycles that derail your life, impact your mental health, and are too often gaslit by doctors, misunderstood by parents, and silenced by society.

Sasha opens up about her own experience of painful, emotionally overwhelming periods that started when she was just 12 — and the years she spent not understanding what was happening in her body.

She’s joined by three powerful voices, each bringing a unique perspective to the table. Sammy McEleny, 36, has been battling endometriosis for most of her life, enduring years of misdiagnosis, confusion, and chronic pain. Lara Vella, 26, is an artist who was put on the pill at 16 without a diagnosis and has since taken her healing into her own hands after fainting, vomiting, and enduring feverish pain with every cycle. And Dr Chiara Frendo Balzan, a leading gynaecologist and returning SHE Word expert, brings medical clarity to the conversation, helping to break down the myths and stigma surrounding menstrual health.

Together, they explore the medical gaslighting so many women face, the toll hormonal imbalances can take on mental health, and the shame that still surrounds periods — especially in conservative cultures like Malta’s.

This episode is a must-watch for every young woman who’s ever felt confused, dismissed, or alone in her menstrual journey — and for every teacher, parent, partner, and policymaker who needs to understand that painful periods are not “just part of being a woman.”

With special thanks to: Brown’s, Ayur Veda Organic Wellbeing, Prohealth: Cerave, Tampax, Always, Islands 8, Hyatt Regency, YUE, UBER, iCentre, Growth Gurus

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