Shruti Haasan prayed 'a thousand times' that men get periods: Actor opens up about PCOS & her dream of becoming a mother despite being told at a young age to 'forget about it'

Actor Shruti Haasan has opened up about her long experience with painful periods, her PCOS diagnosis and the fears around motherhood that she carried from her teenage years. Speaking to Soha Ali Khan on the podcast All About Her, Shruti discussed menstrual health, fertility, egg freezing and her hopes of becoming a mother.

The actor also spoke about the lack of understanding around period pain and said she once wished men could experience menstruation so they could better understand what women go through.

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Shruti Haasan says she prayed men could get periods

Speaking about the challenges women can face when dealing with painful periods, Shruti said she has often wished men could experience menstruation themselves. She also spoke in favour of period leave being included in workplace contracts.

“I mean, there’s only one solution to this, and I prayed about it a thousand times that men get periods. And then we’d have, like, period holidays written into our contract.”

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Soha agreed with Shruti and jokingly suggested that men might turn the experience into a competition involving bleeding and tampon sizes.

Shruti said she began speaking more openly about her periods after realising that sharing information about her physical health could help colleagues understand when she needed support.

'It would be so much more collaborative'

Looking back at the early years of her career, Shruti said she was initially hesitant to discuss menstruation because she assumed people would not want to hear about it.

She recalled telling a director about her period pain and receiving an unexpectedly understanding response because his daughter also experienced severe cramps.

“It's literally how it started. The first time I told a director, he has a daughter, and he said she also has very bad cramps. It just changed the colour,” said the actor.

Shruti later explained how being open about health issues could make professional environments more accommodating.

“Yes, I will do it, but it would be so much more collaborative if you knew what I was going through. And then I noticed, one of my co-stars was like, you know, I’ve had that knee surgery. And they were like, oh okay, so let’s work around this. And I was like, I have my period.”

Shruti recalls severe period pain since adolescence

Shruti said her experience with menstruation has been particularly difficult since she got her first period at 13. She recalled how her mother immediately recognised that she was experiencing the same severe cramps.

“And my mum was really sweet about it... I could see her waiting with bated breath, and then the cramps kicked in almost immediately within two hours. She was like, ‘I am so sorry. You got it from me,’” Shruti recalled.

Describing the severity of the pain, she said she would sometimes need medical attention during her periods.

“I would be at school, faint, puke, get rushed to the hospital and be put on IV fluids and painkillers every month because of my period cramps,” she said.

Shruti said that in 2020, her gynaecologist recommended a different oral contraceptive pill, which she said reduced her pain by around 60 per cent.

Shruti says PCOS affected how she viewed motherhood

The actor also spoke about how being diagnosed with PCOS at a young age shaped her understanding of fertility. Shruti said she had been warned from the age of 14 that conception could be difficult.

“I have been told throughout that I have PCOS (PMOS) and childbirth or conception, just forget about that. Like since I was 14. It is going to be difficult,” she said.

Those messages, Shruti explained, left her fearful about discussing motherhood and fertility. She said she had avoided the conversation because she expected to be told that having a child would not be possible for her.

Doctor’s advice changed Shruti Haasan’s perspective

Shruti said her outlook changed after a conversation with her gynaecologist, Dr Dhrupti Dedhia. According to the actor, instead of making her feel pressured by age or a so-called biological clock, the doctor discussed the choices available to her.

“It was a way of saying, in a beautiful way, ‘If that's what you want, we will figure it out,’” Shruti recalled.

The conversation also introduced her to egg freezing as one of the options she could consider. Shruti acknowledged that egg freezing can be physically, mentally and financially demanding, but said learning that she had choices changed the way she viewed her future.

‘I would really just love to be a mum’

Shruti said she is open to different paths to motherhood, including adoption, while also wanting to explore the possibility of having a biological child.

“I am even open to adopt. I would really just love to be a mum. But I would also like to try it definitely as an extension of myself in some biological way, and that conversation was really eye-opening,” she said.

Her comments also underline how early messages about fertility can influence the way women approach decisions about having children. For Shruti, the conversation with her doctor shifted the focus from fear and uncertainty towards understanding the choices available to her.

Soha Ali Khan also shared her own experience of discussing egg freezing. She recalled speaking to a doctor at 35, when she was not ready to have a child, and being told that it was too late.

Shruti Haasan’s upcoming projects

On the work front, Shruti Haasan was last seen in Coolie in 2025. She will next appear in Train, alongside Vijay Sethupathi, and Aakasamlo Oka Tara with Dulquer Salmaan.

She has also lent her voice to a song in SS Rajamouli’s upcoming film Varanasi, which stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran.


Inputs from TOI