Montenegro grants women two days of paid monthly leave for painful periods

Montenegrin lawmakers have approved amendments to the Law on Health Insurance, establishing a new right for women to receive two days of paid monthly leave. This benefit is specifically for women diagnosed with secondary dysmenorrhea, a condition characterized by painful menstrual cycles stemming from organic causes such as endometriosis, polyps, or fibroids.

The initiative for this legislative change was introduced in March, ahead of International Women's Day, by independent lawmaker Jevrosima Pejović. The proposed law received unanimous support from the Committee on Health, Labor, and Social Welfare, as well as the Legislative Committee.

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The proposed legal solution recognizes the right to a special state of temporary incapacity for work for women with secondary dysmenorrhea.

According to the legislative reasoning, the amendments aim to adequately regulate diagnosed pathological conditions of secondary dysmenorrhea. This seeks to eliminate workplace prejudices and create a balance between women's health and their professional obligations. The law recognizes a special state of temporary incapacity for work for women with this condition. A specialist physician must diagnose secondary dysmenorrhea, and insured women are required to renew their medical certificates annually by December 31 and submit them to their employer by January 30 of the following year.

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Secondary dysmenorrhea involves a condition accompanied by painful symptoms caused by a previously diagnosed gynecological pathology.