This guest blog, written by Lauren Copeland, a lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University, explores why menstrual health education matters for all young people, not just those who have periods. Lauren is working in partnership with Robyn Jackowich, Honor Young and Max R. Ashton at Cardiff University and Tabitha Dickson at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Drawing on recent research with boys and young men, Lauren looks at what they currently learn, what they want to know, and how more inclusive teaching can help reduce stigma and build understanding. She also shares plans for a larger study that will support schools to create more open and supportive conversations about menstrual well-being. This blog is of interest to SHRN readers because it brings together new evidence, young people’s perspectives, and practical insights that can help schools strengthen menstrual well-being for all learners.
What We Know
Around 1.8 billion people around the world have periods every month. Although menstruation is completely natural, it’s still surrounded by stigma, embarrassment, and misunderstanding. The NHS Wales Women’s Health Plan (2025–2035) highlights menstrual health as both a public health and equality issue, and something everyone in society needs to understand and support.
For many children and young people, periods can make school life harder. On average, 15-year-old girls miss around 3 days of school a year because of period symptoms and spend around 14 days struggling to concentrate or take part fully while at school (1). For those from low-income families or minority backgrounds, period poverty (not being able to afford period products) adds even more pressure (2).
While the Welsh Government has invested £9 million to help tackle period poverty and improve education, boys and young men are still often left out of these conversations. Teaching everyone about periods helps break down stigma, build understanding, and create more supportive schools and communities. However, many lessons still focus mainly on those who have periods, which means boys and young men often have fewer opportunities to learn about the topic in a structured way.
We also need to think about how best to teach this topic. Mixed-gender classes can help normalise the conversation,, while in other settings learners may feel a bit uncomfortable. Effective menstrual education is inclusive and sensitive, helping everyone feel respected while in other settings learners may feel a bit uncomfortable. Effective menstrual education is inclusive and sensitive, helping everyone feel respected.
What We Did – Our Previous Work in This Area:
To learn more about this issue, we ran a survey study with 155 young men and people assigned male at birth (aged 16–25) who attended school in the UK. We wanted to know what menstrual education they received, how confident they felt in their knowledge, and how this related to their attitudes toward menstruation.
How We Did It
Participants completed an online survey We asked about what they learned at school, who taught it, and how confident they felt in their knowledge about periods. We also explored their views on stigma, and attitudes about period-related policies.
What We Found 🔎
- Most participants said they had some menstrual education at school, but many thought it was poor quality or unhelpful.
- Those who knew more about periods were less likely to hold negative or stigmatizing views.
- Learning about real experiences of menstruation, not just the biology, helped build empathy.
- Some said mixed-gender classes were helpful for normalising the topic, but others said jokes or teasing in these mixed groups made learning challenging.
- The most effective lessons were those that combined facts with practical period management, helping everyone understand both the science and the social impact.
Overall, the findings show that boys and young men want to learn about periods, but they need education that feels relevant, honest, and respectful. When young people lack knowledge, stigma becomes more likely to spread and shape school culture.
What We Would Like to Know
We currently lack understanding and evidence of how to address the diverse needs of girls and boys within school settings regarding menstrual health education. We need to understand what effective menstrual education looks like for boys and young men, and how to involve them in supportive, stigma‑reducing ways.
Our previous research shows that young men want to understand more about periods. They want clear, factual information about what happens during menstruation, how it affects people physically and emotionally, and how they can offer support. When period education is separated by gender, it can make menstruation feel like a topic for only one group of learners, reinforcing the idea that it isn’t something everyone should understand.
We hope our next steps will be a larger, two-phase study that will explore the best ways to include boys and young men in menstrual education. By understanding what works, we can help create more open, supportive conversations about periods in schools and communities so that everyone, regardless of gender, can play a part in ending stigma and promoting menstrual well-being. The two phases are:
Phase 1 (Scheduled to run April – July 2026)
- Focus groups with secondary school learners – both those who have periods and those who don’t.
- Interviews with parents and carers, caregivers, and teachers to understand what helps or makes it harder to teach about periods.
Phase 2 (Scheduled to run September -December 2026)
- A large-scale survey with around 2,000 young people aged 13–16 years in schools across Wales.
- Questions exploring what learners want to learn about periods, what they think boys and young men should learn, when and how learning should happen, and what barriers get in the way.
- Analysis of how views differ by age, background, and family income.
Our goal is to find what parts of the school curriculum and environment can be changed to make menstrual education more inclusive for everyone. By listening to boys and young men, we can design education that help reduce embarrassment, build empathy, and support those who have periods.
Conclusion
Understanding how boys and young men learn about periods is key to creating more open, supportive school environments. Our findings highlight a clear appetite for better, more inclusive education that reduces stigma and helps all learners feel confident talking about menstrual health.
As this work develops, we hope to partner with schools and young people to explore approaches that feel practical and inclusive in real classrooms. If your school would like to receive updates, or find out about future opportunities to take part in this menstrual health research, remember to subscribe to the SHRN e-news or email lcopeland@cardiffmet.ac.uk.
1. Schoep ME, Adang EMM, Maas JWM, de Bie B, Aarts JWM, Nieboer TE. Productivity loss due to menstruation-related symptoms: A nationwide cross sectional survey among 32 748 women. Vol. 9, BMJ Open. BMJ Publishing Group; 2019.
2. Jaafar H, Ismail SY, Azzeri A. Period Poverty: A Neglected Public Health Issue. Vol. 44, Korean Journal of Family Medicine. Korean Journal of Family Medicine; 2023. p. 183–8.