Menstrual Health Education
My research with 16-19 year olds shows that menstrual education in school is not meeting the needs of young people.
Although young people are talking more about menstruation than before, many still experience embarrassment which leads to them struggling to ask for support and, when necessary or desired, to share their menstrual experiences.
As I show in The Menstrual Movement in the Media: Reducing Stigma and Tackling Social Inequalities (2025), girls and other young people who menstruate still have limited knowledge about menstrual health, and this is negatively impacting their health, wellbeing, and experiences of healthcare. Since education in schools is often still limited to biology, can be rushed and/or delivered by a teacher who seems embarrassed, many teenagers rely on social media which can lead to young people absorbing harmful misinformation about menstrual health.
The young people in my research believed that, to reduce menstrual stigma and to ensure that women and others who menstruate are supported effectively, men must be included in education and conversations about menstruation. The young men in my research were unsure how to talk about menstruation in mixed gender groups but expressed enthusiasm for learning about how they could talk about menstruation in a non-stigmatising way and how they could effectively support girls and other young people who menstruate.
Young people of colour from faith groups feel the most excluded and underserved by formal education on menstruation
Current Menstrual Education Projects:
Primary School Curriculum
Faith Inclusive Menstrual Health Education (coming soon, but do get in touch if you'd like to hear more)
Primary School
Menstrual Health Curriculum
This project is a collaboration with Belszki
(primary teacher and feminist theatre maker)
Based on what the teenagers in my research wished they had learned at primary school and Belszki's experience in performance and tackling stigmatised subjects, we created a primary school menstrual education curriculum of 5 lessons for years 5 and 6 (aged 9-11).
Belszki has already delivered this curriculum in our trial school and it has received outstanding feedback from pupils and staff (you can see the lesson activities and evidence of impact in our report). These lessons have created a more open and inclusive culture around periods in the school, helped girls to feel more prepared for their periods, to be more confident to discuss periods, and to be better informed about menstrual health. They also learned how to use a wide range of period products (including reusables) and recognise typical/atypical menstrual pain. They also learned about menstrual inequities such as period poverty. It has also improved boys' knowledge about periods and encouraged them to be allies.
You can download the project report by clicking on the image of the report below...
Feel free to contact me (Maria) for a chat if you are interested in teaching the curriculum in your school or youth organisation!
Click HERE to see lesson examples and feedback from pupils & staff!