'I didn't have a period for 20 years. When it came back, I was furious.'

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Chloe* was just 16 when she was told she had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) — a hormonal condition that impacts women during their reproductive years.

Nearly two decades later, at 35, she got her first period in 20 years. And it was a single moment that changed everything.

For most women, menstruation is a monthly reality — it's sometimes painful, often inconvenient, but ultimately just another part of life.

But for Chloe, who hadn't had a period for two decades, the sudden arrival of a full cycle was a shock. And it wasn't just because of the physical discomfort, but because it forced her to confront the silent burden most women carry throughout the majority of their lives.

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"The realisation that women around the world are dealing with this every month and going on like it's any other day? It hit me like a ton of bricks," she said.

"If, as a woman, I'm finding the experience of having a period so eye-opening, I can't even imagine how clueless men are to what women are going through.

"I've had three periods in 20 years. Most women have had 260."

Chloe's journey with PCOS began in her teens. After two sporadic periods at 15, her cycles vanished, and, although this didn't seem normal to a teenager, doctors told her not to worry.

"I saw an endocrinologist at 16 who diagnosed me with PCOS. They recommended the pill, but my GP said it would just trigger a 'fake period' and wouldn't solve the matter," she recalled.

When Chloe asked what would help, doctors made it clear that, aside from losing weight, there was no cure for PCOS.

"I thought, why take medication for something that isn't actually helping my condition?" Chloe said.

Like many women with hormonal conditions, Chloe was told the issue could be addressed at a later stage, with the general sentiment from health professionals being, 'Come back to us when you want to have kids.'

Until then, the message was clear: It's not a big deal.

But it was.

The hidden consequences no one talks about.

Years of irregular cycles led to an unexpected diagnosis decades later: osteopenia, a precursor to osteoporosis caused by low estrogen.

"I had no idea how serious the consequences could be," Chloe admitted. "I was told polycystic ovaries would make conceiving more complicated, but still manageable with intervention. No one explained that not menstruating can weaken your bones."

When Chloe decided that she and her partner were ready to start trying for a family, she went down the route of seeking fertility treatment at 35.

"The doctors were shocked when I told them my medical history and lack of treatment," she said. "But at the same time they said, 'This is super common, one in five women deal with this.'

"But if it's so common, why isn't there more research? Why is there no cure? Why aren't we told of the more serious ramifications?"

Her frustration stems from a larger issue in women's healthcare — with conditions such as PCOS and endometriosis being chronically under-researched, leaving women to navigate pain, infertility and other unwanted symptoms with little support.

"Getting my period filled me with rage for all women."

After starting fertility treatment, Chloe finally got her first period in 20 years.

"I was at a gig when it hit. I had no tampons and no idea what to do," she said. "My partner had to run to IGA for me. I was moody, crampy and completely unprepared. It hit me: women deal with this every single month."

While women are suffering monthly, many men still view periods as a vague, mildly icky concept instead of the logistical and emotional marathon they are.

"I have friends with debilitating endometriosis who power through work, life, everything," she said. "I can't even imagine the panic that sets in each month when they know their period is around the corner."

The fertility fight so many women face.

Chloe's fertility journey has been inconvenient, at the very least, and gruelling at most. Daily hormone injections, as well as blood tests and pelvic ultrasounds every three to four days.

"The follicular phase of my cycle lasted 27 days instead of the usual 10 to 14. My estrogen levels were all over the place. I was bloated, emotional and constantly going back and forth from the hospital," she said.

When her period arrived, signalling the treatment hadn't worked, the emotional toll was confronting. "Bleeding is such a visceral way to tell a woman she's not pregnant," Chloe said.

Despite the circumstances, Chloe has remained positive about her situation and has kept a sunny disposition throughout the fertility process.

"If it doesn't happen, I'll be disappointed, but I know I'll still have a good life. What makes me angrier is the lack of awareness," she said.

"Women are told to 'just lose weight,' but PCOS makes that so much harder. It doesn't take other factors into account because it's not just a matter of willpower, you have hormonal imbalances fighting against you."

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Chloe's story isn't just about PCOS or infertility, it's about how women's health is constantly dismissed, downplayed and outright ignored.

"The debilitating impact of periods needs to be taken seriously and not just in conversations, but in policies and workplaces," she said.

"Right now, most world leaders making these decisions are men who've never once had to cancel plans, miss work, or grit their teeth through cramps while being forced to carry on as if everything is normal.

"We need more research. We need men to understand. And we need to stop acting like periods are just some minor inconvenience. They're a sign of health, yes, but they're also a burden that needs to be acknowledged and supported."

She points to initiatives such as period leave and complimentary or subsidised period products as steps in the right direction. But real change, she says, starts with talking openly.

"Women are incredible. The resilience, the mental load, the pain… we normalise it because there's no other choice. But we shouldn't have to," she said.

For Chloe, getting her period for the first time in 20 years wasn't just a biological event. It was proof of how much women endure and how little we talk about it.

"If I could change one thing, it would be to remove the stigma and give women permission to speak freely about what they're going through. The taboo needs to stop now. Period."

*Names changed to protect identity.

Feature Image: Getty