A millennial whose employer gives paid period leave said it's improved her work life knowing she could take time off when the pain becomes unbearable

• Paid menstrual leave is much more common in Asia than the US or Europe.
• Some argue menstrual leave creates a pretense to discriminate against women. 
• One worker told Insider menstrual leave at her Polish company made life easier in the last year. 

Paulina Rutkowska, 31, says she can remember a time when getting her period meant a tough day at work. 

When she worked as a photographer in college, for instance, and had less workplace flexibility, she'd have to power through her symptoms. 

"Sometimes I was barely conscious doing it," she told Insider about that job, which required being on her feet a lot.