Meet the Woman who has stopped her period to further her career

Alanna Allen loves her job. As manager of five hairdressing salons in Surrey, the 29-year-old has worked her way up and now heads a team of ten stylists. She is one of the UK's top colourists.
To remain at the very top of her game, she's also made a drastic – some might say alarming – decision. Like a growing number of women, she uses hormones, intended as contraception, to switch off her monthly periods and stop them disrupting her career.She tells Daily Mail

'I've not had a period for seven years now, and I've never looked back,' The best thing for me is the convenience. When you're with a client, you want to focus entirely on them.'Stopping my periods has allowed me to 'man up' and get on with things. I'm not only in charge of my own staff but I oversee the managers of our other salons and I have very little sympathy for any of the young female apprentices who say they are suffering from period pains. There's no need for any woman to have to put up with that.'

But a generation of young women like Alanna are refusing to let their periods damage their prospects.

'I started taking the Pill in my early 20s, but found it irritating having to remember to take it at the same time every day. I'd still get a bleed, backaches and cramps which isn't convenient when you're a hairdresser and on your feet all day. I'd take painkillers and would sometimes need days off. Not exactly ideal when you want to get on with your career.

'Friends had mentioned the injection and I thought I'd give it a whirl. Although I put on a bit of weight and suffered a few minor headaches, my periods stopped. It makes my job so much easier. Now, if any of the women in my salon start complaining about period pains, I recommend the injection to them.'