CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 14, 2023--

Almost half of people who menstruate experience period pain that is ‘severe’ – and 51% feel their symptoms aren’t taken seriously by healthcare professionals, new research has found. The survey, commissioned by health charity Wellbeing of Women, asked 3,000 women and girls in the UK about their experience. A massive 86% of those surveyed said they have had mental health problems in relation to their period. Many said they had ‘debilitating pain’, bleeding for six weeks and some waited decades for a diagnosis of a health condition, in the survey of 16 to 40-year-olds across all regions, backgrounds and ethnicities. Women and girls have been “dismissed for far too long”, said Professor Dame Lesley Regan, chair of Wellbeing of Women. “It’s simply unacceptable that anyone is expected to suffer with period symptoms that disrupt their lives.” Painful, irregular and heavy periods can be symptomatic of serious gynaecological conditions. Signs of the chronic condition endometriosis – when the endometrial lining grows outside of the uterus – include debilitating period pain. Similarly, adenomyosis – a condition where the uterus lining starts growing into the muscle of the womb wall – is normally identifiable by painful periods and heavy bleeding. Painful periods may also be a sign of fibroids, non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb. Despite around two in three women developing at least one fibroid at some point in their life, according to the NHS, only 38% of those surveyed knew about the condition. Awareness for adenomyosis was even lower, at only 10%. The research found only 14% have tried medication to reduce heavy bleeding, despite treatments, like tranexamic acid which reduces blood loss significantly, being available. Caroline Nokes, Conservative MP and chair of the Women and Equalities Committee which is conducting an inquiry into reproductive and gynaecological health, said: “There is a terrible phrase, ‘Well, it’s just a period, why are you making a fuss about that? Can’t you just get on with it?’ “Yet many women and girls are experiencing horrendous period symptoms and gynaecological conditions. “These are impacting the health of women and girls, and preventing them from taking part in work, school, sport and everyday life. “Endometriosis alone affects 1.5 million women in the UK and costs the economy £8.2 billion – now is the time for change.” Wellbeing of Women have launched a new campaign called ‘Just A Period’ – aiming to address the normalisation of worrying period symptoms. NHS GP Dr Aziza Sesay said: “In my clinic, I see teenagers who are anaemic, who miss several days of school, and they don’t realise that this isn’t normal. They’ll literally use the words, ‘It’s just a period’. “It’s vital that we raise awareness and education on periods. We need to stop the narrative that heavy and painful periods are something we have to live with. “I want women and girls to have the knowledge to advocate for themselves, to push for more investigations, and to push for a diagnosis and treatment so that they don’t have to live with debilitating symptoms.” Clare Nasir, Channel 5 weather broadcaster and host of BBC Under the Weather broadcast, was diagnosed with fibroids and had an myomectomy – an operation to remove them. “With fibroids, there’s the physical pain but also the mental pain, I was struggling to conceive but looked about five months pregnant. People would write into the show asking why I hadn’t declared my pregnancy. It took a toll on my mental health. “When I eventually had my myomectomy, it was life changing. I’m passionate about raising awareness so that other women don’t feel alone and or suffer unnecessarily.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Cats given vegan diets ‘have better health outcomes’, study claims Groundbreaking migraine treatment offers ‘new hope’ for patients Taylor Swift and Shakira lead the charge in slit dresses at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards

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SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 14, 2023--

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KAWASAKI, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 13, 2023--

Food safety experts have been taking to TikTok to warn against fried rice syndrome and what causes it. Fried rice syndrome is a type of food poisoning which occurs when certain dry foods, such as pasta and rice, contain a bacterium called Bacillus cereus that produces a toxin when heated and left out too long, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Concern over the food poisioning has grown recently after reports of 20 year old dying in 2008 from eating five-day-old pasta circulated on TikTok. The concern over the possibility of food poisoning from leftovers has prompted dieticians and other food safety officials to explain what temperatures are and aren’t safe for leftovers. Kyndall Weir is a sports dietician who goes by the username @theathletedietitian on TikTok. In her video, she recalled one of her clients who was eating from the same pizza every week without storing it in the fridge. She then explained why doing something like that can be dangerous by referring to the “temperature danger zone,” which is echoed in the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service’s food safety website. “If something is supposed to be refrigerated and it reaches above 40F degrees, bacteria can start to grow,” Weir explained. “On the other hand, something that is supposed to be hot, like that rice that was cooked, cools down below 140F. That is also in the temperature danger zone.” People had so many questions that the TikToker began a food safety series on her page. One person asked, “Can I heat food up [and] put it directly back in the fridge hot? Bc I heard that’s bad but I do it secretly. BUT I will stop if I should.” Weir responded, “Technically you should let it cool before putting it back in the fridge.” But Weir isn’t the only content creator speaking out about food safety and fried rice syndrome. Dr Shazma Mithani, who goes by the username @drshazmamithani, also posted about the same subject. @theathletedietitian #stitch with @Jpall20 #greenscreen why food safety is so important!!! Im immediately turning this into a series #athletenutrition ♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs - Skittlegirl Sound “Do not leave starchy food like rice, pasta, or potatoes out at room temperature,” she warned in the video. “There’s a very specific bacteria that thrives in this environment and produces a toxin that is heat stable, meaning that even when you reheat the food, it does not kill that toxin.” She included more information in the caption, where she clarified that leaving out leftovers longer than they should is usually not a problem, but “starchy foods” can be more prone to the bacteria exposure than other foods. @drshazmamithani Share this to keep your friends and family safe! We are all guilty of letting food sit out for longer than we would like to. Often, it’s not a big deal, but for starchy foods like rice, it’s the perfect breeding ground for a bacteria called Bacillus cereus. This bacteria produces a heat stable toxin that survives even when the rice is reheated. It’s can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration. Please share this and follow for more tips and tricks to keep you and your entire family healthy and out of the ER. . . . . . #foodsafety #food #rice #pasta #potatoes #toxin #bacteria #foodpoisoning #vomiting #diarrhea #er ♬ original sound - Dr. Shazma Mithani, MD, FRCPC According to the USDA, best practices for safely storing hot leftovers is to refrigerate leftovers within two hours of cooking the food or after it is removed from an appliance keeping it warm. After food is safely cooked, hot food must also be kept hot at 140F or warmer to prevent bacterial growth. With cold food, it should be discarded after sitting at room temperature for over two hours, and one hour if it’s been sitting at a temperature above 90F. Read More ‘It can be hard when your kids leave the nest,’ mother says as study finds parents want their children back Sitting this many hours a day ‘rapidly increases’ dementia risk, study warns Woman warns not to ignore symptoms after hot flushes lead to leukaemia diagnosis Schoolboy almost dies from swallowing magnets for TikTok challenge Woman shares honest review of New York City apartment TikTok mom slammed after making 5-year-old son run in 104 degree heat