Menstruation Education Matters
- Meloney Hudson
- Mar 21, 2025
- 4 min read
What can we do to help girls who are approaching puberty feel more positively about menstruation? We can educate them.
Studies have shown that menstrual health education programs can help girls in many ways, including:
· Removes the taboo and shame
· Increases body-appreciation
· Builds confidence and self-esteem
· Increases school attendance during menstruation
· Improves psychosocial well-being
· Normalizes menstruation
Unfortunately, menstrual health education is a bloody mess in the USA. Parents depend on schools to provide menstrual education, and schools wish parents would take on more of the menstruation education responsibility. Ultimately, menstrual education is falling through the cracks and our girls are suffering because of it.
Studies show girls who didn’t receive adequate information or felt unprepared for menstruation were more likely to have negative attitudes towards menstruation and menstrual distress. Even worse, girls who were least prepared for their periods are at higher risk of poor body image, depression, and engaging in risky behaviors, such as substance use and early sexual activity.
What’s wrong?
Many girls experience puberty at a younger age, often as early as age nine. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that pubertal development education (including menstruation) should begin when girls are seven to eight years of age.
Yet a study reports only 21% of elementary schools in the US offer puberty or menstrual education. In fact, in the USA, menstrual health education is not a requirement in the education system. Middle and high schools may voluntarily offer a menstruation health class, but often when it is offered, the curriculum takes a back seat to other subjects and standardized test prep.
Teachers are assigned menstruation education without training or support, and they often report feeling unqualified to teach it. Male teachers feel less qualified and more uncomfortable, and girls are less likely to take the information seriously from them or ask menstruation-related questions.
And while the National Sexual Education Standards of menstruation health education includes the anatomy, it does not include menstruation management (products usage, period-tracking, etc.). Currently, only three states in the USA (Michigan, Oregon, and Utah) explicitly include menstruation management in school health standards. Girls report their need for period management support more than anything, and just aren't getting it at school.
Parents don’t get a high grade in menstruation education, either.
Many parents feel uncomfortable and unprepared to teach their daughters about menstruation; after all, their moms didn’t give them much information. In some religions and cultures, menstruation is a taboo subject, and is stigmatized as “impure.” Sometimes, parents are a barrier to menstrual health education, because it’s part of sex education; and 87% of American high schools allow parents to opt their child out of sex-ed classes. Some well-intentioned moms simply don’t have “the talk” soon enough, due to their busy family life.
Our Education System Starting to See the Light
Fortunately, the US education system is beginning to take menstrual health education to heart.
In March 2022, the Council of the District of Columbia passed the Expanding Student Access to Period Products Act of 2022 (DC Law 24-92), which outlines requirements and strategies to improve menstrual health education and student access to period products. DC is now supporting its students.
In October 2024, California signed the “Know Your Period Act” into law, requiring California public schools to include menstrual education in their curriculum. The law went into effect January 2025.
Hopefully, other states will begin to implement their own menstruation education programs.
Outside Sources
Noticing this educational gap, outside agencies are beginning to offer menstruation education, too. These sources can arm teachers and parents with information they need to comfortably educate their children. Some materials are written for young readers to use on their own. A few of these organizations include:
PEP is the leading movement helping young people access medically-accurate menstrual health education through community workshops called PEP Rallies. PEP is transforming menstrual health education by equipping medical students with the knowledge and confidence to deliver a judgment-free understanding of periods for youth of all genders in community settings. They offer in-person and on-line “PEP rallies” where girls can learn from these medical experts and have their questions answered.
PERIOD. is a global youth fueled non-profit which strives to eradicate period poverty and stigma through advocacy, education, and service. PERIOD. distributes period products to communities in need, authors menstrual health curriculum, and advocates for change.
PERIOD offers educational materials that anyone can access here: https://period.org/education
This organization offers puberty education programs to schools in the Chicago, Illinois (USA) area, and provides online resources to parents. Perhaps Candor can become a model for other educational agencies.
Red Diamond Sisters
Red Diamond Sisters is new on the scene. We provide some information on the anatomy and period management, but our specialty is periods as personal power. We help all women discover the deeper meanings of their period as it relates to the magic of the innate assets and feminine spirit. We aim to help girls raise their appreciation of menstruation and body and build their confidence and personal power. We feel think kind of education is vital for the self-esteem and self-love of people of all ages.
Let’s do what we can to help our girls understand their body, love themselves, and feel proud and confident. And let’s do what we can to help others see the positive aspects of menstruation.
Comments