Period literacy: A powerful tool for dismantling stigma and shame

Teaching students about menstruation is essential. Period.

What you need to know. Period. resources are available at endometriosisnetwork,com.

By Allison Nichol Longtin (she/her), educator and curriculum developer, The Endometriosis Network Canada

Many of us who are teaching sexual health education to today’s youth grew up in a time when having a period was shrouded in mystery. Those of us who got a period likely concealed our pads and tampons on the way to the bathroom like a dirty secret. School washrooms often lacked period products and waste bins in toilet stalls. And painful periods were just that: normalized, something to get through.

Thankfully, some of these things are changing for the better. There are more options out there for people who get a period now, including sustainable options, like menstrual cups and period underwear. Inclusive menstrual health programs like The Endometriosis Network Canada’s peer and physician-reviewed What you need to know. Period. program are designed to educate young people about normal and abnormal period pain to help reduce the delay to diagnosis of period-related health issues like endometriosis.

And, while more and more young people may be talking about periods than when we were in school, there’s still more work to be done to increase period literacy among youth.

When young people are left to learn about periods on their own, misinformation and disinformation abound; taboos, stigma, and shame around periods are perpetuated; and health issues like endometriosis go undiagnosed.

To support educators to integrate menstrual health education into their existing curriculum, The Endometriosis Network Canada developed the What you need to know. Period. program. The free period literacy program for youth was created in consultation with youth and educator advisory committees and includes accurate, trauma-informed lesson plans, as well as facilitator training to prepare educators to deliver the content to students. The program is designed for a wide range of youth (ages ~8–18) of all genders, identities, and sexual orientations.

Because you can’t always tell if someone gets a period just by looking at them, we’ve used inclusive language in the development of this program, intentionally avoiding gendered terminology. We recommend delivering the program to all of your students, not just those who get, or may eventually get a period. Teaching all students may help destigmatize menstruation at a societal level.

Taboos about menstruation and lack of menstrual health awareness are key contributors to poor understanding of menstrual health. Teens and youth who worry about their period often conceal their symptoms out of shame, feel uncomfortable discussing their period with peers or trusted adults, or believe their symptoms are normal. When young people do disclose their concerns, peers and trusted adults may reinforce feelings of shame and inaccurate beliefs about menstrual health. The consequence is a culture of poor period health literacy.

The range of experiences of having a period can be drastically different, even in a small group of people who get a period. Teaching period literacy will help your students build confidence in their ability to recognize when something might be wrong and to know where to get help.

Endometriosis (or endo) is a prevalent period-related health issue:

• At least 1 in 10 girls, women, and unmeasured numbers of Two-Spirit, transgender, and gender-diverse people live with endo. Nearly two million Canadians have endometriosis.

• Endo can be very painful and can prevent people from living a full life.

• 6 in 10 teens and youth with endo face challenges in school because of pain.

• 4 in 10 people with endo have difficulty reaching their educational goals.

The What you need to know. Period. program, and teaching young people about periods, may help reduce the five-year average delay to diagnosis for people with endo by educating young people about normal and abnormal period pain.

The University of British Columbia studied students in Grades 8–12 who took a 60-minute program about menstrual health. (1)

Upon attending the program, the students:

• understood that getting really painful cramps that make you miss activities during your period is not normal.

• knew that a person with really painful periods should talk to someone they trust, like a parent, teacher, elder, or health care provider, about their symptoms.

• felt more confident in their menstrual health knowledge and were more comfortable discussing menstrual health.

• agreed that the program taught them something new and that people like themselves would benefit from learning about menstrual health.

• The research tells us that teaching youth about periods increases their knowledge and instils more positive beliefs about menstrual health.

Your efforts to increase period literacy among your students have the power and the potential to break down taboos and to improve the quality of life for youth with endometriosis by reducing the delay to diagnosis. The What you need to know. Period. program can support you in having important conversations with young people about menstrual health. You may not have grown up speaking openly about periods, you may not have learned about them in school among your peers, you may not get a period, but you can create positive change for the students you teach.

Resources

Visit The Endometriosis Network Canada website at 

endometriosisnetwork.com for more information, including the What you need to know. Period. resources and to learn about facilitator training.

Health Canada Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund: www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/funding/sexual-reproductive-health-fund.html

YouTube video by EndoACT: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYTSLKEUxk8

The Endometriosis Network Canada

The Endometriosis Network Canada is a national, registered charity dedicated to raising endo awareness, providing support, and educational resources. Their work to develop this resource is funded by the Health Canada Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund.