Dakota Johnson got real about her painful menstrual cycles, revealing her periods are “ruining my life”

As any person who menstruates knows, periods are no fun—and can sometimes be downright disruptive. In a February 11th interview with InStyle, Dakota Johnson got real about the struggles she faces with her monthly period. “If I’m honest, my hormonal changes during my menstrual cycle are ruining my life,” she said. “Every month. It’s unbelievable. It’s really f-cking amazing. I can’t get a grip on it. I’m like, what? Every time, I’m totally scandalized about what happens to my body and my brain. My boobs are like eight times the size they normally are. It’s really a traumatic thing, and it happens every month. I just can’t get used to it.”

We’ve honestly never felt so seen. Between cramps, mood swings, and feeling “meh” in general, we’re routinely “scandalized” by our periods, too. The 29-year-old actress also opened up about the difficulties of finding a birth control method that works well with her body, calling it “very tricky.” She noted that she’s working with the nonprofit Global Citizen to help educate others on these issues.

"This is something that, again, I’m advocating with Global Citizen: Reproductive education," she said. "What it means to have a woman body, and how do you honor it the right way? How do you not jam chemicals into your brain in order to feel good? It’s a remarkable thing."

#DakotaJohnson says her period is "ruining her life" and honestly, same. https://t.co/3mMkcAH4bv

— InStyle (@InStyle) February 11, 2019

As InStyle noted, Johnson shared her phone number on Instagram to encourage women to share their experiences with gender inequality, including their struggles finding contraception. Together with Global Citizen, the actress pledged to share the stories with world leaders.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoroXBCjdKL

Thanks for helping to break down the taboo, lady. Because awareness about these issues is critical, and the more we share about our period issues and birth control struggles, the less alone we all feel.