From taboo to public health: What does the future of menstrual health look like?

From taboo to public health: My reflections from the world’s largest menstruation conference

Earlier this month, our Senior Consultant And Research Fellow (Feminist Toxic Free Futures) Helen Lynn, attended and spoke at the Menstrual Research Network and 4M Consortium Conference in Brighton, the world’s largest conference dedicated to menstruation. Bringing together researchers, clinicians, campaigners, policymakers and advocates from across the globe, the conference highlighted a growing international movement to recognise menstruation not simply as a private issue, but as one of public health, environmental justice and human rights.

In this blog, Helen reflects on the conversations, research and moments that stood out ,and why they reinforced the importance of Wen’s campaign for safer, more transparent and better regulated period products.

 

The regulation gap we can no longer ignore

It comes as quite a shock, to everyone who hears it, that period products have no specific regulation. They are regulated alongside other non-essential consumer products under the General Products Safety regulation, untested additives are allowed ie biocidal silver and PFAS, and everything from heavy metals to harmful chemicals, pesticides and PFAS have been found in a range of period products, both reusable and single use disposable over the last 30 years. 

This from an industry worth between £20 and £40 billion globally, which appears to consider itself above regulation, and where only self or voluntary regulation will do. Our blood is their profit!

”It comes as quite a shock, to everyone who hears it, that period products have no specific regulation”

Why period product regulation is a feminist issue

The intersectional nature of menstruation means not only does stigma play a huge part in accessibility, education, the lack of regulation and period products themselves, but also the very gendered nature of this product, which is not a choice but a necessity. 

If there are health impacts from using these products in one of the most absorbent parts of the human body, the vagina (some 10-80% more absorbent than the skin on the rest of the body) and, we know there are. We are in no great hurry to find out. Only 2% of all UK public research funding is spent on female reproductive health. We know more about the far side of the moon than we know about menstruation and what happens inside our vaginas. 

 

“Only 2% of UK public research funding is spent on female reproductive health.”

What research there is on toxic chemicals fails to consider vaginal absorption. PFAS, a forever chemical, has been found in period products. Another untested,  unnecessary additive or contaminant, it’s also been found in the wrapping of pads and some tampons, and in tampon applicators 

Yet the EU’s recent assessment of the cost to health from exposure to PFAS, €440 billion by 2050, which determined that PFAS could impact both late and early onset of menarche, and is linked to endometriosis and menstrual irregularities, failed to consider period products or vaginal absorption of PFAS. 

Marginalised and racialised women and their communities face higher exposure to toxic chemicals and worse health outcomes. Not just due to lack of choice but lack of regulation. A fact which was highlighted in our recent Green Baby webinar. Toxic chemicals are both a feminist and intersectional issue. 

How can we trust an industry which produced different products for a Kenyan market leading to women blaming their own bodies because they reacted to these products? Or one that tries to convince us there are safe levels of heavy metals like Lead. 

 

How one conference helped shape Wen’s campaign

In 2022, I attended the first Menstrual Research Network online, where Scheaffer Okore gave a very inspiring keynote about her work. She introduced Kenya’s Menstrual Hygiene Management Policy, something I hadn’t come across before, I remember asking, “why doesn’t every country in the world have a policy like this?”

So began a journey to initiate something similar in the UK, the Menstrual Health, Dignity and Sustainability act, which in turn led to our work on the regulation of period products.

 

The conversation has changed

Fast forward to last week, where I had the honour and privilege of attending this year’s Menstrual Research Network and 4M’s Consortium’s conference in Brighton. Delivering one of the keynotes and participating in a roundtable. What a difference a few years make! 

I am so grateful to Dr. Chi Eziefula , Professor Bettina Bildhauer, Professor Gemma Sharp  and all those involved with organising this wonderful conference for all the kind words and support given to me and Wen. 

I met so many great people and learned so much, the conference could have run for a week!  Billed as the largest ever world conference on the issue of menstruation, it was impossible to attend all the sessions running. But many came to talk to myself and Marie Morice (Feminist Toxic Free Futures Policy Campaigner) who also attended the conference and ran our stall. 

My talk considered if it was gender bias, social stigma or vested interests which were preventing the regulation of period products. Scheduled as the first session for the conference, my aim was to set the tone for the conference’s call for regulation. The fact that candles are more regulated than period products seem to strike a cord as well as the reminder that our blood is their profit. 

 

“Candles are more regulated than period products.”

Several young people reported to me afterwards their anger about the lack of movement on regulation. In fact, I talked to many people where the talk resonated and fuelled the call for specific regulation. The talk itself got such an overwhelmingly positive reaction, I was totally amazed. It was such a supportive and engaged group of people. Pure menstrual heaven!

 

Research, collaboration and a growing movement 

Some standout sessions for me were the #roundtable organised by Bettina Bildhauer (FRSE) with Professor Dame Lesley Regan, Professor Hilary Critchley, Tigist Grieve Inga Winkler Vivi Lin and Sophie Collins.

Helen on the stage with a call to action – credit photo: Natalia Blahova

Professor Regan outlined the simple need for medical practitioners to ask about periods, and the importance of thinking about women’s and female health across the life course. Each condition is related and not an isolated experience. From menstruation to menopause.

Which brought home for me the gender bias I have personally experienced in my journey through mainstream medicine. She outlined how the UK Women’s Health Strategy will work towards a day where no young person wakes up in the middle of the night bleeding, and not understanding what’s happening. Read Wen’s response to the recent update on that strategy. 

It was also wonderful to hear Jane Ussher, one of the academic legends give her keynote. She talked about inclusive research and about how we ask, shapes what we see, and how inclusive demographics lets people describe themselves and not force them into narrow boxes. Gender beyond binary. This really has resonance for Wen’s work.

Many academics presented new and innovative research. Several memorable sessions for me were Harriet Wilkinson on using body mapping to research menstrual experiences like pain. Anushka Swannell from MACC discussed the results of their recently launched survey report.

Dr Radhika Shrivastava Adholeya on menstrual experience in India. And her question on what regulation might look like in India, where women were making their own pads made me think, one standard does not fit all. A country who recently declared menstrual health a human right. And on the last day, Kathrin Schilling, Jennie Shearston and Kristen Upson presented the results of their work on heavy metals in period products. 

Also thanks to the creative graphics from Woven Ink.

 

The From private experience to public health

I ended my talk by saying, directly to the period products industry and establishment, which includes the government. That the world has changed:

 “Menstruation is shifting from a private experience to one of collective concern, the framing is now on public health and human rights. It is totally and utterly unacceptable that in the 21st century we find harmful chemicals, heavy metals and pesticides in our period products. We are sick of voluntary codes, reassurances and placation. We want action, we want regulation and we want it now”.

We would love you to support our call for regulation, you can sign our clinicians and health care professionals sign up here, and our academics, scientists and researchers letter here.  

Many thanks to Marie Morice MSc, CSC for all her support and help at the conference and the wonderful Wen team and Kate Metcalf, Heidi Ringshaw and Kate Beard

 

Support the Environmenstrual campaign

Sign our clinicians’ open letter 

Sign our researchers’ open letter 

Read Blood, Sweat and Pesticides 

 

At Wen, we’re campaigning for a future where everyone can trust the period products they use. Through our Environmenstrual campaign, we’re calling for period products to be independently tested, fully transparent about their ingredients and properly regulated, because everyone deserves to know what’s in the products they use on their bodies.