Young people's experiences of periods and period pain
Learning about periods and period pain in school
Young people learned about periods in various ways, including from their own and others experiences, online, through social media and reading books. Here we consider when, how and what young people learned about periods and period pain within lessons at school. This section covers:
- When periods were taught about at school, including which school and which lessons
- Young people’s thoughts about how they wanted to learn about periods in school
- What young people recalled learning at school about periods and period pain
When periods were taught about at school
Most of the young people we spoke with had been offered some kind of lesson about periods and period pain while they were still at primary school. It wasn’t always easy to recall the details of what had been covered although these early lessons were often in the context of learning about the changes that people might experience during puberty. Such Personal Social, Health and Economics (PSHE) lessons, or personal development lessons, were sometimes taught by class tutors, school nurses, or other people with a special interest.
Jayden recalls being taught about puberty, periods and contraception by school nurses in year 6 at primary school.
Jayden recalls being taught about puberty, periods and contraception by school nurses in year 6 at primary school.
And can you remember anything about the kind of less... the... the education that you had at school, or what that was like, or what that felt like?
Not complete... I remember that they... like they split it into like two rooms, and then it was pretty much just like a... they... they played like videos of just like, male puberty, female puberty, and it was like cartoon things. Well, so... sorry, well, there was two nurses and like they played them. And then after that, it was a thing of like, here’s how like your... here’s like different sanitary products that you can use, this is how like they’re used. And then there was also like a brief talk about like contraceptives as well, but it wasn’t like anything too... and too in depth. And then, you know, people... people would leave them with like the little goody bag things of like a pack of like period pads and a notebook or, you know, something along them lines. It was probably... like it was probably like an... an hour, 45 minutes max. But it was obviously... helped people.
Lucia, said that these primary school lessons were the first time she had heard about periods. Elsa is aware of people who hadn’t learned about periods at primary school ‘being terrified because it’s so weird’ when they did start. For Jayden, ‘the primary school one was probably a lot better than the one that probably mattered the most’. Lily doesn’t recall any teaching at primary school, when, 'I was quite young starting it, that I think we hadn’t got to that conversation in school yet’. She remembers an assembly at secondary school after she had started but says this ‘felt kind of useless, so I was like: ‘I’m a pro at this now, you know, I... I know everything now,’’ [see Starting periods].
Willow had her first school lesson about periods after she had started. She had already heard about periods from her mother, but thinks starting periods without feeling prepared would be really hard (read by an actor).
Willow had her first school lesson about periods after she had started. She had already heard about periods from her mother, but thinks starting periods without feeling prepared would be really hard (read by an actor).
Can you remember... I mean you probably did this lesson kind of relatively recent... was it before your periods had started?
No.
Or was it after?
So—
The PSHE...
—the first one I talked about, that was before.
OK.
The second one was after; the whole class one was after.
The one that you had before you had your periods, can you remember what it kinda covered, what they talked about?
Yeah. It kinda covered like... so the teacher said that she... her best friend had gotten her period before her, and for some reason she wanted it. I was quite confused why anyone would want their period, and her other friend... but her friend of course didn’t want her period, and that’s the kinda thing she talked about. She talked about the things you can use. We didn’t get very far because both... because one of the teach... the boys’ teachers was running late and so we only got like half an hour, or 15 minutes: it was supposed to be a bit more... a bit over an hour.
OK, OK. But she talked a bit about her experiences?
Yes.
OK, so how did that... did that kinda—?
That might have been the thing that made me feel better and made me feel more comfortable about it.
OK. And when you then got your period, had you heard about periods before that lesson?
Yes, but my Mum hadn’t, and she thought she was dying.
Mum: Yeah.
I feel really bad for her.
Yeah, and it’s a really, really important point. And actually, I’ve still talk to... I’ve talked to young people doing this project who had never heard of periods before the lesson at school, so still —
Yeah, there was somebody in our class who hadn’t heard of periods, and if she... and I don’t know if she’d already started hers by then – she probably hadn’t – but I feel very bad for her if she got her period and had no idea what it was, I feel bad for anyone that happens to.
For some of the young people we spoke with their education about periods had been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As Jade explained ‘my year missed a lot of important talks in like Biology, and stuff, ’cause of lockdown’. Emily recalled how ‘my primary school was a bit messed up because we had Covid – it hit right in the middle of it – but I think in Years 5, and in the older years, we did learn a little bit about it, but not in the depth that we went to in secondary school’.
Learning about periods and period pain sometimes continued throughout secondary school during PSHE lessons, tutor time, and pastoral care, although there was a lot of variation. Lola thought there had been talk about menstruation for ‘maybe one hour during health and... sexual health at school’. Bella Z recalled a transition to learning about contraception, rather than periods as such: ‘I don’t think we talked about it in secondary school. Like I can’t... I can’t remember there being anything about it. Maybe in PSHE, actually, but I think that was more like about pro... protection [contraception]; can’t remember if they talked about periods’.
Bella Z believes it is beneficial to learn about periods in primary school, when most people start their periods, but feels ongoing education in secondary school would also help, as she doesn't recall receiving much herself.
Bella Z believes it is beneficial to learn about periods in primary school, when most people start their periods, but feels ongoing education in secondary school would also help, as she doesn't recall receiving much herself.
But I think, to be fair, with the bleeding, I feel like maybe there is already like quite a bit of information on it because you do it in primary school and that’s I guess when a lot of people start. But maybe anything about bleeding like in secondary school would... might be helpful, like lower down, to help people with that ’cause I guess... I feel like it is like a balance between when you’re younger, you don’t wanna talk about it as much, so then you probably have to have... like be forced through like a lesson on it, or whatever, to actually get it in your head.
So, something about needing it to be earlier, but then something a bit later when it’s maybe... when it’s applied to more people, and... and bleeding. And did you ever learn about any of the newer kinda period products like cups or pants or...?
I don’t... I... I ki... I vaguely remember. I actually think we might have done it in secondary school once, ’cause I kinda remem... I... I don’t know how... I don’t... I’m like my brain, like I don’t know where I’m getting the information from. Like I don’t know whether I’ve got it from home or from like school, but I do vaguely remember learning about cups.
Jian doesn’t recall learning much about periods at primary school, but in her all-girls secondary school education, she had annual lessons in pastoral care about periods, sexual health, contraception, and tackling menstrual stigma (read by an actor).
Jian doesn’t recall learning much about periods at primary school, but in her all-girls secondary school education, she had annual lessons in pastoral care about periods, sexual health, contraception, and tackling menstrual stigma (read by an actor).
Can you tell me anything about what you do remember about what you learnt and when it was talked about at school?
To be completely frank, I think we had one... one lesson on this sort of thing, and it was... it was just about how a female body changes, but it was never about the period, so I... I didn’t learn about the period through school, it was just about from my sister and mum, yeah.
OK. So, school hadn’t really talked much about what to expect?
No, no, not at all.
And did that ever change? Did it ever get picked up kind of as you went through school? Was it ever something that they ever went back... like did you learn about it later on at all?
Yeah, so by school, you mean primary school?
Yeah.
So, in primary school it wasn’t touched upon. And then in secondary school there was a lot more of like a... a heavy front on it and they would talk... they would have at least a section. So, we had this thing called like ‘pastoral’ and we learned about certain stuff I guess that wasn’t particularly academic curriculum, and every year we’d have like one segment just purely on like periods and like sexual health and stuff like that. So yeah, so yeah, I guess it did change.
And what sort of things did they teach about in the period and sexual health section?
I don’t quite remember in much detail, but I think about periods, it was about uses of like pads, tampons, other things, and like it was... I think it was like getting rid of like the taboo around it, or like normalising different types of period, and stuff like that. Sexual health-wise, it was just about like how to be safe and like the legal parts of certain stuff, and... yeah.
School science lessons were another source of information about periods and period pain including learning about the biology and hormone changes that underpin the period cycle. Emily said that ‘in Year 6 we learnt about it. It was more just kind of puberty; we never really properly learnt about it. I mean in GCSE you do learn the whole science of it. It’s not necessarily like symptoms, it’s more about the scientific way of looking at it: so, like progesterone, and stuff like that’. Some young people said that knowing about the biology of periods helped them make sense of what they felt in their bodies.
Ela feels differently about her period bleeding and pain, since learning about the biology and hormone changes that happen in her body to cause the menstrual cycle.
Ela feels differently about her period bleeding and pain, since learning about the biology and hormone changes that happen in her body to cause the menstrual cycle.
You know, I’ve always... I always heard about period pain. And the first year of my period I don’t remember ever getting cramps. I remember other people talking about how them and I was like: ‘mm, I wonder why I don’t have them.’ I do now, and I think I did like the next year and so on, but I think I... it was probably everything that I expected it to be. You know, I think we were educated on what periods were. And then obviously in GCSE biology you go a bit more into the details of what actually causes them and the different hormones and everything, so I kind of look at it a bit differently. And now like sometimes I say to my friends as a joke: “Oh, my uterus lining is shedding.” And it’s weird ’cause I almost feel the pain differently after knowing like how it works. Like the pain doesn’t feel so much like a cramp anymore, but it... almost is like sensory in the sense I can almost imagine like my uterus lining actually shedding, which sounds weird-
No.
—but it’s how I sort of feel it now, which is weird.
And so, did that change how you felt about the pain a bit do you think? Sort of knowing how to make sense of it?
In terms of making sense of it – yes, ’cause I think I wondered before like: ‘why am I in pain, like what is this pain?’ And still... I still don’t know like why it hurts, maybe I should do some research about that, but... I think it just makes me look at it differently to know what’s actually happening, rather than just knowing I’m bleeding and that I’m in pain.
Sometimes period-related learning came up unexpectedly in other ways at school. Grace learned about the side effects of hormonal contraception from one of her peers who did an Extended Project Qualification essay (EPQ) EPQ project on this topic and presented it to the class. She was surprised at how many side effects there were, and that she hadn’t known about this before. She said: ’someone at my school did an EPQ on the side effects, and just the fact that like even if I didn’t know specific ones, just the fact that that could even be like a massive project, because obviously it is a massive thing, I was just like: ‘what, like that’s kind of crazy.’ And obviously, yeah, there’s gonna be side effects to lots of treatments, but I don’t know.’
Those who told us they had attended religious schools thought this might have influenced what they learned about periods or how this was taught. Ivy explained ‘I went to a... like a Christian school as well, so a lot of it was actually quite taboo, because it just... just wasn’t spoken about’. Rosie went to a Catholic school, and ‘didn’t really get period talks’. She said that for her, while at ‘secondary school, we didn’t really get any sort of PSHE that wasn’t religious’. Bella reflected on her observation, that as well as potentially impacting on what was taught, or how comfortable people might feel talking about periods in lessons, religious parents might choose to exclude their children from lessons about puberty and periods. She noticed that, ‘We had... I think we had around four kids in my class who got taken out to... from the sex education and all of that sort of thing as they were deemed to be too young for it’.
Jade felt her education about periods focussed on women being able to become pregnant. She wondered whether being at a religious school might have influenced this.
Jade felt her education about periods focussed on women being able to become pregnant. She wondered whether being at a religious school might have influenced this.
And did you get it in Year... primary school at all? Did they ever tell you anything; did you get the kinda talk about pads at primary school?
In Year 6, we just... like right at the end of Year 6, they pushed it right back, but we... all we really did in primary was that we just learn about like our body parts. And that was kind of all they did right at the end. And they told us about like a woman can get pregnant, and then they were like: “How’d you feel? Educated? I bet.” And that was kind of it.
OK. So not so much about periods.
No, but I did go to a Roman Catholic primary school,—
Ah.
—so that could have affected it.
Young people’s thoughts on how they wanted to learn about periods in school
Most of the young people we spoke with attended mixed-sex schools (co-educational schools). For these young people, most recalled that their primary school lessons were delivered to groups separated out by sex. In Reham, April, and Mia’s schools, the boys and girls were ‘split’ for the whole lesson about puberty. Mia explained that ‘in Year 6, they like split the boys and girls up and then they like told us all about it and we were obviously all shocked’. She thought it was good learning about periods ‘just girls’.
Bella Z learned about periods in a class separated by gender. While she preferred that approach, she can also see advantages in making sure everyone knows about periods.
Bella Z learned about periods in a class separated by gender. While she preferred that approach, she can also see advantages in making sure everyone knows about periods.
Do you have any kind of recollection of when you learnt about periods and... and what that was like?
Yeah, I remember ’cause they did, like, sex ed lessons, and I remember them splitting up like boys from girls and then... I don’t think they actually split them up anymore. Like I know ’cause my dad’s a teacher, I think they’re mixed classes now, but they split us up and I remember them talking about... I think they might have shown us like a pad. I can’t remember it that well ’cause it was so long... long ago, but I think they showed us like a pad and I feel like they talked about bleeding. I can’t really remember if they did talk about cramps – they might have – but yeah, I think they’re just kind of more in like general.
Gen... And do you have any thoughts on kinda being split up or being together having had your—?
Yeah, well, I feel like at that age, I think you... and we probably would have appreciated it. Like ’cause I think, especially at that age, it’s like: ‘oh, like ‘er boys,’ like you don’t wanna be friends with boys, like you’re... you’re more thinking about that at that age, so I think... And they would probably be more like less understanding about it. I think like they... ’cause they’re kids, they don’t really have any filter. They probably just think like: ‘oh, that’s so gross,’ like, and more so stuff like that. So, I do think it probably does help like I would have preferred for it to be split up. But then obviously they need to learn about it too, so I do understand why it does help for it to be that mixed ’cause it’s good for them to know like earlier on.
Separate sessions for boys and girls could mean they learned different things, or that they were not sure what each other had learned. As far as Chloe was aware ‘I don’t think the boys got taught about periods in Year 6’. Lola thinks boys not learning about periods has consequences: ‘a lot of the time they’ll separate the class into girls and boys, so even if it is happening, the guys have no clue, and that’s why I think a lot of guys don’t realise how much havoc it causes’. While Anayaa and Candice’s preference was for boys and girls to learn about periods separately, they thought they should all learn ‘the same material’ (Anayaa) and that ‘the guys should be taught a bit about it as well’ (Candice).
Bella and Jade, had experienced some learning with boys and girls together and some where the genders were separated. Bella says that in her school this lesson was ‘mixed with boys and girls, but they did have an extra session near the end about just periods with the girls and... But they did the entire... I remember they did all of the sex ed stuff, so what was gonna happen during puberty with boys and also girls in the room, so it wasn’t separate’.
When learning about periods in secondary school, or in biology lessons, this tended to be with everyone together.
Reham found lessons about periods in a mixed gender class in secondary school ‘awkward’ and worried that the girls might not feel comfortable talking in these classes.
Reham found lessons about periods in a mixed gender class in secondary school ‘awkward’ and worried that the girls might not feel comfortable talking in these classes.
In primary school I felt that did help because I was still a kid so I didn’t really need all that much information, but it did get the point across. But in secondary school I felt it was more awkward ’cause they did it with both the girls and the boys together in one room, so I was like: ‘oh,’ but mainly the girls were just not listening and they were just trying to look away, trying not to feel nervous.
And that’s quite interesting. So that’s one of the things we’ve been thinking about quite a lot, actually, is whether... is what you think about that being together or... or not?
I think being separate would be like way more helpful ’cause then the girls would feel more comfortable talking about that and they wouldn’t have to listen about problems that the boys have, which they won’t feel, and vice versa.
Some of the young people we spoke with, like Jian, Iris and Rahma had some of their lessons about periods while they were at single sex schools.
Having time with only young people who might menstruate could help create safe spaces for young people to ask questions, especially in primary schools or the early years of periods. Lucia worried that people ‘might feel too shy to ask questions in front of other people’.
Amalia felt that being in a mixed class made it difficult to ask questions which limited the education she had about periods.
Amalia felt that being in a mixed class made it difficult to ask questions which limited the education she had about periods.
We were like 12 years old, they weren’t very like well-behaved in those lessons, so it kinda like made them less important than they should have been, and I feel like we didn’t get the right amount of education that we needed, because if it was just a class of girls, like we would have asked a lot more questions, but the boys were there, so it was kind of all, you know, uncomfortable.
These possible advantages of learning together as girls only were balanced against the recognition that everyone should know about periods. This could help with conversations. Ela noticed that when she and her friend had an informal conversation with two boys at secondary school in a science lesson that ‘that there are still a lot of unanswered questions. So we were able to obviously answer some of their questions, they were able to answer ours, which I think is good, in the sense that we’re communicating with people our own age, but...’. although she reflected that this might have felt more possible in secondary school and was unsure that ‘being together in a room, in Year 5 and 6, would have helped that at all’.
Scarlett learned about periods in a separated class, but the boys learned a year or so later, which she was happy about. She would have liked to learn more about what boys might experience at puberty.
Scarlett learned about periods in a separated class, but the boys learned a year or so later, which she was happy about. She would have liked to learn more about what boys might experience at puberty.
No it was a mixed boys and girls school.
And did you get your learning about kinda puberty, and things, with boys and girls together, or was it just the girls?
It was separate.
Do you have any thoughts on... on that?
I mean I don’t really because a lot of the boys learned it a year later, which I don’t really mind because at least for my year... for my class, they were quite mature about it, which I’m very happy about. But I’m just... like we didn’t really get to learn about how boys go through puberty; it was mostly focused on the girls. I would just like it, you know, integrated a bit.
Yeah. So that’s interesting. So actually, they ended up learning about girls, but you didn’t feel that you ever really got taught about what they go through?
No, really—
Mum: Maybe just in Biology class now?
Yeah, yeah, it was just really about like, you know, the changes that they go through, but it wasn’t, you know, as in depth as the... as the... as the women’s was, you know like at P7, like they just kinda skimmed over it in Year 8.
Anayaa wondered whether not knowing about periods might contribute to boys not knowing how to react to them: ‘I don’t think boys were taught about it, that’s maybe why they laughed’. Young people also recognised that boys would need to work and live in the world alongside people who menstruate. Liv sees it as ‘part of social responsibility to make sure everyone is on the same playing field of knowledge’. As Amalia explained ‘I think the fact that we don’t learn about it enough in school is why people are so like immature about it. ’cause if you just learnt about it all the time and it wouldn’t be a big deal to anyone, and so everyone would get a lot more knowledge’. River was clear that from his perspective ‘I don’t think people should be separated. I... I think everyone should be like learning together about this at the same time’. Rosie thinks this matters because ‘none of the boys would be able to sort of like help some... or like another girl, because they hadn’t been taught anything’.
Eve was taught about periods with just the girls in her class, but thinks that the boys should also have been there, so they could learn at the same time (read by an actor).
Eve was taught about periods with just the girls in her class, but thinks that the boys should also have been there, so they could learn at the same time (read by an actor).
And when you had your lessons in Year 4, can you remember if... was it just the girls, or boys and girls? You said that when they... at some point you had just girls alone.
Yeah, well, they did explain like a little... they had the girls and they just explained where everything was, but I feel like the boys should have been there, like ’cause if they have like a sister or a younger sister or a friend or when they’re older... like someone close to them, then they feel... I feel like they should have probably help them cope with that.
Yeah, I think... I think that’s a really... it’s a really interesting thing, isn’t it? So, from your perspective, you think the boys should be taught as well.
Yeah.
OK. But they were taken out and did separate things?
I don’t know what they did, but... yeah.
OK. And have you ever talked to any of the boys in your class about having started your periods?
No.
Mm. Would you?
I don’t think I’d want to.
No.
’cause... yeah, ’cause prob... yeah, ’cause they hadn’t been taught about this, so I don’t think they’d understand or, yeah, they might be a bit annoying about it.
Yeah, yeah. How do you think they might be annoying?
I think they might, like, just tease, maybe, ’cause they don’t know what it is like.
Lucia thinks period pain and the impacts of period pain need to be taken seriously, and that how doctors react is important.
Lucia thinks period pain and the impacts of period pain need to be taken seriously, and that how doctors react is important.
I think it should be, not more serious, but taken... and, yeah, taken more seriously ’cause some people might assume: ‘oh, everyone has it,’ and just deal with it, or... ’cause some people might have the pain so bad they can’t walk, and stuff, and if they go to the doctor’s and doctors just say: “Oh, well, that’s just what you have to do,” then it might... yeah, it’s just not good.
Is that something you’ve heard about happening?
Yeah.
What young people recalled learning at school about periods and period pain
Early learning about periods, including lessons in primary school, often focussed on the bleeding. This included which products to use to manage bleeding, most commonly pads and tampons [see Managing period bleeding]. Everyone in Lucia’s class was given a pad to look at and hold. Elsa remembered that ‘it was mainly more like showing us how to open the pads’ and in Elsa’s lesson ‘the girls were taken to like a separate room to talk about periods, and I think we were shown how a tampon works with like a bottle of water, or something, or a cup’. When Sarenna had her early lesson as well as showing what could be used, her teacher explained where these could be accessed in school: ‘our teacher showed us where she kept everything, so she was like: “If you ever need to get something, just get it from the cupboard,” and stuff like that, so it was good there’.
Bella was shown a pad by the school nurse, but she didn’t unwrap it. Her teacher then did show them what a pad was like inside the wrapper.
Bella was shown a pad by the school nurse, but she didn’t unwrap it. Her teacher then did show them what a pad was like inside the wrapper.
Did you ever get taught about different products, or the way to manage the bleeding or pain, or anything like that?
No, it was just: “This is a pad,” they didn’t even unwrap it, I don’t think, I think one of my teachers did, she got her little bag out and was like: “This is a pad,” but she unwrapped it, but I don’t think even the sexual health... I think she was the sexual health nurse that came in and taught us, ’cause that was on the same day as sex education, but she did... she just showed us this pad, this tampon: “You... you... these are two things that you can use,” I don’t think she said much else.
Most people, like Mia recalled mainly being taught about pads, or pads and tampons and ‘not really the other ones’, but as they progressed through school, some were taught about other options for managing bleeding, for example menstrual cups or period pants.
People also remembered being taught something about how much bleeding to expect, or what was ‘normal’, both in terms of heaviness of flow and in timing or bleeding pattern regularity. Emily recalls that ‘it was more just: “Oh, you... you bleed for about a... a week.” It’s... it... well, they actually weirdly said it’s like three to four days, and I was like: ‘mm, that’s not for everyone,’ and I am someone who does not bleed for three to four days: I bleed for a week to eight days.’
Sometimes advice about what to expect about pain or bleeding could be hard to interpret, and it could be difficult if people’s experiences didn’t seem to match up with what they had understood. As Lola explained ‘they tell you you’re expected to lose like two tablespoons, but they don’t tell you that that could be in very large amounts and then in a couple of little drizzles, they kind of just tell you: “It’ll be two tablespoons across five days,” and you think, ‘oh, that’s nothing, that’s no amount of blood at all, that’s fine,’ and then it happens and you go: ‘that’s fair... a fair bit actually.’’
Yvette recalls a teacher saying that ‘it could be painful you could be nauseous’. However, others, like Willow said, ‘I hadn’t been told much about the pain’ or for Abi who said the pain was ‘never mentioned at all’. As Lucia explained ‘I don’t think you got about the pain and when to ask for help or anything, just what did to use like pads, tampons, stuff like that’. If period pain was discussed, people reflected that it tended to be described as relatively mild and manageable.
April thinks her lessons about periods at school focussed on the menstrual cycle and bleeding products, but ‘not a lot’ about period pain (read by an actor).
April thinks her lessons about periods at school focussed on the menstrual cycle and bleeding products, but ‘not a lot’ about period pain (read by an actor).
OK. And can you remember, did they talk to you about... what... can you remember what they kinda focused on or what you learnt?
April: They teached us the cycle of it and like the breakdown of what happens, and just like basically what it is, and like the cycle.
Yeah. Did you ever get taught in your lessons about things like period pain or... or...?
April: Not as much... not more like... not really a lot about period pain. It was more like what to do, like what it... what it was and like the cycle of it and like what happens during the period; there wasn’t really anything about period pain.
OK. Did they talk about anything like what to expect in terms of how often they come or... or range of bleeding, or anything like that?
April: No, not really, ’cause it was... it was... it’s kinda different because in my tutor times they kinda showed us products and like kind of the stuff like that. But then obviously in science, it was more like you write down like the weeks that it comes and its cycle, so....
OK. And... and at primary school, I guess that’s a wee while ago now.
April: Yeah.
OK. So, do you remember in school ever learning about period pain or... or how people might have talked to you about period pain?
April: In primary school or like...?—
Or I guess kinda ever really?
April: No, no-one’s really talked to us about period pain in school; it’s... it’s mostly just like about what it is. I don’t really remember... And maybe once, maybe someone said that you do get pain, but not that I can remember.
Most of the young people we spoke with did not recall being taught about many options for how to manage period pain or advised about when to go to see a doctor.
Jayden recalls being told they could use paracetamol for period pain, but does not think they were ever advised about when to get help or further support.
Jayden recalls being told they could use paracetamol for period pain, but does not think they were ever advised about when to get help or further support.
Tell you anything about... that you can remember about what to expect in terms of them being regular or period pain or when to get help? Do you remember anything like that?
Not off the top of my head. I think I remember... vaguely remember something about like maybe like pains, or whatever, and like how it can like be like eased, and it was just like the typical thing of like: “If it... it’s too bad, have some paracetamol, have like a hot water bottle,” or something like that. But I don’t remember anything about like: “If it’s so bad, get help,” or anything like... yeah, I don’t remember anything like that specifically.
Learning about hormonal treatments and contraception medications tended to be in a context of pregnancy prevention, rather than learning about these as options to help manage period bleeding or period pain. Jade noted that although they learned about contraception, ‘they didn’t look at it from pain, they just looked at it from stopping babies.’
While some young people, like Jian, were actively told that everyone could experience periods differently, many felt that what they learned was quite general, and that they learned about individual experience and variation more through talking with each other. Willow Z felt that in her experience ‘they were never like: “If you’re bleeding this much, it’s not normal. If you’re not, it’s not normal. If you have a missed...” They never talked about spotting, missed periods – nothing – nothing about that. They just covered the quick simple easy basics and were like: “Right, we’re moving on now" [see Learning about periods: making sense of periods from own and others experiences].
Lily, had learned at school about a health condition related to tampon use called Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) because this had happened to someone at her school. This is a very rare but potentially serious infection which can happen from an infected wound or in people using tampons or menstrual cups (see Resources for more). Most of the young people we spoke with did not recall learning about this or other health conditions that can be associated with periods and period pain. They also did not recall learning about symptoms other than pain that can be associated with periods, like emotional changes. Abi, was told ‘“Oh, you might get mood swings,” but they didn’t mention how miserable I would feel’, which did not help her feel prepared or be equipped to manage them [see Learning about periods: things people wished they had learned].
Iris learned at school about bleeding, but not really about cramps or emotional distress. She had to learn about these through experience with support from friends, family and the internet (read by an actor).
Iris learned at school about bleeding, but not really about cramps or emotional distress. She had to learn about these through experience with support from friends, family and the internet (read by an actor).
And can you remember anything about kind of learning about periods or learning about what to expect?
I don’t think I was ever really introduced into what cramps would be like. I think I remember in Year 5 and Year 6 you did that thing when everyone... and I was at an all-girls’ school for... for primary so they gave you, like, some pads and you had to like put them on your hand. I mean that... that... I mean that... that kind of thing. So... so as in I was fine, completely fine to manage them, but I think it was the cramps: I didn’t... I didn’t really know what to expect with them. I... yeah, I think I was... I was a bit... I was a bit unsure about them and I’d... I... I was told that they would like be really bad but I didn’t really expect them to be as... as bad as they were; I didn’t really have a full picture in my mind of how they would be
And I think I’ve understood you saying that you didn’t kinda get taught... your... your teaching at school wasn’t particularly about cramps, that was more what you got from your friends?—
Yeah. There wasn’t anything about cramps at all, it was more just how to manage them with pads and stuff and... yeah.
So, it was about managing the bleeding?
Yeah, rather than actually managing the pain or the emotional distress that went along with them.
And is that something that’s ever changed? Have you had any kinda other teaching or lessons as you’ve gone through school?
Now... now that I think about it, I don’t think so, no, I’ve never really been introduced to cramps or anything like that.
Have you ever kind of looked it up yourself or kind of Googled things or tried to look for more information?
I think... I think once when I was... when people were talking about cramps and I was a bit curious, I think I searched up what they would... what they would be like. But actually... actually not that much really, no.
Can you remember if you found anything helpful?
I didn’t remember a Google search, but... but my mum said they felt like twisted wires, or something. And then, I mean that’s all the information that I really got from it, and then I then experienced my own kind of cramps, and that wasn’t very fun.
Learning about periods and period pain in school often tended towards being quite practical or biological, with a focus on what would happen. There was less learning about what they might feel like or how to manage aspects other than bleeding. Candice explained this by saying that they talk about the changes that happen in growing bodies and the ‘reproduction side of it’, and ‘they just mention that there’s a period, but they don’t say what it is properly’.
Rosie learned about the biology of periods, but not about cramps or the ‘physical experience of a period’. She had to find that out for herself.
Rosie learned about the biology of periods, but not about cramps or the ‘physical experience of a period’. She had to find that out for herself.
And it became sort of like... I don’t know, we got taught about it in Biology, in a very sort of like inhuman way, and there was not... you know like a picture of a woman, and we didn’t get taught what, you know, pads were, but it was just like, literally, like cycles of hormones and things, which was weird. But I kind of... you know, by that age, we all already knew what it was, and we’d figured out for ourselves, so it was all right. But interesting that none of the boys would be able to sort of like help some... or like another girl, because they hadn’t been taught anything.
Yeah. I’m interested that you say it felt inhuman.
Yeah, there was never sort of any personality tied to it. There was no sort of like humanity and was quite, you know, cold and reified, sort of like you were kind of just... it was just like a picture of a womb and then ovaries and you were like: ‘OK.’ But there was no sort of... it was just like how we were taught about the digestive system, or brain cycles, and things like that. It was just like just another thing that was like biology, rather than it being something that affected your life, or that was like, biologically, like already happening to you. I’m not explaining it very well.
No, you are actually explaining it absolutely... you’re explaining it really brilliantly and really clearly. So, it was almost, it was objective, but it didn’t relate to your experience. And I think you’re saying that it also made you think that it maybe wasn’t equipping the boys to know how to support someone, or what it might feel like. Have I got that right?
Yeah. We were never taught about cramps or like a physical experience of a period. It was literally just the biology behind it and why, or like at what point in the cycle which hormone correlated with menstruation or the like ovulation, and things like that, there was never any... Again, no-one ever taught us about what cramps were. No-one taught us about pads or tampons and which one to use. There was never any kind of even like pain relief advice. There wasn’t any of that, which was strange. And we all had to kind of find out ourselves.
[See Learning about periods: Finding information beyond school lessons from other sources including online, social media and books].
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