One quarter of men say they experience 'man periods' each month - but obviously minus all of the messy stuff.
Guys experience symptoms such as feeling irritable and tired or craving certain foods every month, a new survey reveals.
The survey of 2,412 people - evenly split between men and women - formed part of a wider study from vouchercloud.com, which looked at the lifestyles, habits and relationships of Britons.
Initially, all male respondents were asked if they believed they experienced 'man periods'.
They were asked to consider the common side effects of PMS which women regularly experience during their menstrual cycle including tiredness, cramps and increased sensitivity.
One quarter of male respondents (26%) stated that they had experienced similar side effects, while remaining participants either had not (65%) or were ‘unsure’ (9%).
In order to understand this further, the relevant respondents were then asked what symptoms they had experienced.
The main symptoms were:
1. Feeling irritable - 56%
2. More tired than normal - 51%
3. Increased cravings for sweet treats like chocolate and ice cream – 47%
4. Constantly hungry - 43%
5. Easily upset - 43%
6. Bloating - 15%
7. Feeling sensitive - 12%
8. Menstrual cramps - 5%
Female respondents were then asked questions about ‘man periods’ and whether they had noticed any changes in their partners.
Out of those surveyed, 48% of women believed their partners regularly experienced ‘man periods’, with 18% agreeing that their partner handles their period worse than they did.
Furthermore, all female respondents whose partners had ‘man-periods’ were asked whether they offered any special support to their partners during these times, of which almost half (43%) admitted that they did.
When asked how they had done so, the most common ways cited were ‘try and cheer him up’ (44%) and ‘walk around on egg shells’ (39%).
Of those who didn’t, one third admitted they had told their partner to ‘man up’.
According to the poll, the average British man who believes he has a ‘man period’ spends an additional £81.53 on food and snacks per month, including takeaways, compared to those who don’t.
The latter of which spend an extra £63.69 per month to combat increased cravings.