Adolescent health
Periods cause students to miss six weeks of study
UK students lose around six weeks of academic time during their degrees due to menstrual health issues, with 70 per cent struggling to concentrate during assessments.
Students diagnosed with conditions such as endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) reported missing around 11 weeks across a three-year course.
Endometriosis causes tissue similar to the womb lining to grow elsewhere in the body, while PCOS affects hormone levels and ovary function.
The findings come from a Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) report into the “hidden impact” of menstruation in higher education.
Rose Stephenson, Hepi director of policy and report author, said: “The findings from this report demonstrate the hidden impact of periods and menstrual cycles on students’ higher education studies,” said
“This is a particularly serious issue for those who have been diagnosed with menstruation-related illnesses who miss, on average, 11 weeks of academic study over a three-year degree course.
“Menstrual health is not a niche concern. It is a structural issue that deserves thoughtful institutional and governmental responses.”
The research included 950 respondents who had menstruated in the previous year—mostly women, but also 1 per cent transgender men and 1 per cent non-binary individuals.
Taking this into account, along with the fact that some women do not menstruate due to contraception, the author noted the decision to use terms like “people who menstruate” or “students who menstruate”, acknowledging these may “appear clumsy” but reflect the data accurately.
While the majority reported negative impacts, 15 per cent said they experienced mental or physical boosts at certain points in their cycle, helping with focus and performance.
The report calls for clearer institutional and governmental policies, including explicit references to women’s health conditions when considering time off or assignment extensions.
It recommends raising awareness of menstrual health in the same way menopause is now addressed—with policies, training, and support plans to reduce stigma and signpost available help for both staff and students.
As part of the research, 1,571 people were asked about menstrual education.
Twenty-two per cent of male students said they had received no lessons on periods or the menstrual cycle. Women were more likely than men to rate their education as poor.
The report said school-based education may suit those without periods who need to understand them, but teaching for women “could and should be improved”.
Professor Dame Sally Mapstone, president of Universities UK, said: “Historically, menstruation has too often been framed as a source of embarrassment, invisibility, or disadvantage.
“That should no longer be the case.
“This report sets out a challenge to reflect on how systems, policies and assumptions may obscure the realities of those they serve and to shape a more intelligent, humane and responsive academic culture. That is a challenge well worth taking up.”
The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education said it is important that providers clearly explain how students can seek support for personal circumstances, including menstruation.
It added that many institutions have recently adopted more flexible approaches, including self-certification and a focus on impact rather than formal medical diagnosis.
“We hope that this will encourage more students affected by the issues identified in this valuable research to seek appropriate support,” the organisation said.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Our new sex and health education guidance makes clear that pupils should learn the facts about the menstrual cycle, as well as the associated physical and emotional changes.
“Universities are expected to support students’ wellbeing, attendance and academic performance, and we encourage them to make free period products easily available across campus.”
Adolescent health
WUKA brings Period-Positive Pool Party to London Aquatics Centre to keep girls swimming through puberty
This summer, WUKA and triple Olympian Hannah Miley MBE are bringing their Period-Positive Pool Party to London Aquatics Centre with one clear mission: to prove that periods should never keep anyone out of the water
At a time when 84 per cent of teenage girls in the UK say their interest in sport declines after starting their period – and nearly 70 per cent report skipping sports or swimming due to menstruation – WUKA’s immersive community event is tackling one of the most overlooked barriers to girls’ participation head-on.
WUKA’s Period-Positive Pool Party was created as a safe, inclusive space for teens to swim on their periods with confidence.
Following a series of sold-out events across the UK, including Eastleigh and Stonehaven in Hannah Miley’s hometown of Aberdeen, the London-based Olympic venue is a result of growing demand from teens and parents seeking supportive, stigma-free spaces to stay active during menstruation.
Why This Matters?
For many young people – particularly those who are not ready to use tampons due to age, comfort, cultural reasons, or parental guidance – swimming during their period can feel inaccessible.
WUKA’s period swimwear offers an alternative designed to provide comfort, coverage, and confidence, helping ensure that periods don’t mean sitting on the sidelines.
The new one-hour London takeover combines swimming, education, and empowerment in one of the UK’s most iconic sporting venues.
Breaking The Stigma While Making A Splash
So much more than a product event, WUKA’s Period-Positive Pool Party is a fully immersive experience featuring a DJ-approved summer playlist, inflatable pool installations, and professional underwater photography capturing barrier-free swimming moments. Every teen will also receive a curated £80 wellness goodie bag, including free WUKA swimwear.
But more than anything, they’re about freedom, confidence, and belonging, ensuring the confidence to swim, period, or not, continues long after they leave the water.
Hannah Miley MBE says: “Being an athlete taught me that your cycle isn’t a weakness, it’s just something to manage.
“Partnering with WUKA for this Pool Party is about showing young swimmers that with the right support and the right kit, they don’t have to press pause on their lives or their sport because of their period.”
WUKA Founder Ruby Raut says: “This is about more than a pool party – it’s about changing what inclusion in sport actually looks like.
“Too many girls step back from swimming and physical activity because of period stigma or lack of options.
“Through community-led events like this, we’re breaking barriers, building confidence, and making sure no one feels excluded from sport because of their cycle.”
Saturday 30th May 2026 | 5–6pm | London Aquatics Centre
Want to join the pool party? Follow this link to buy your tickets
France will reimburse reusable period products for women under 26 and those on low incomes, in a move aimed at tackling period poverty.
The measure is expected to help 6.7m people, almost a tenth of France’s population of 69m, from the start of the next academic year in the autumn.
Women under 26 with a state health insurance card, as well as women of all ages who receive special healthcare support because of limited income, will be able to claim reimbursement after buying the products from a pharmacy. The cost will be covered through the country’s social security system.
Parliament approved the measure as part of the country’s social security budget for 2024. However, no decree was issued to bring it into force, prompting anger among feminist groups and companies making the sustainable sanitary items.
A survey of 4,000 women in France in November found that one in ten had used alternatives to mainstream period products, such as ripped-up clothes, because of tight budgets, according to French charity Dons Solidaires.
France cut sales tax on period products from 20 per cent to 5.5 per cent in 2016. In 2020, Scotland became the first country in the world to sign into law free universal access to period products in public buildings.
A new Female Health Hub launched by the English FA will support women and girls in grassroots football in England with trusted advice on health issues affecting play.
The hub brings together expert-backed guidance, practical tools and player insights in one place, giving women and girls practical advice and reassurance on female health in football.
It has four core aims: to help women and girls better understand their bodies and how female health affects performance and participation, to educate players on key health topics and when to seek further advice or support, to provide practical strategies to help navigate common female health challenges, and to help break down taboos and normalise conversations around female health in football.
Users of the hub will also be able to hear directly from members of the England women’s national team, who share their own experiences of navigating female health matters while playing at the highest level of the game.
“Our ambition is to create a game where women and girls can thrive,” said Sue Day, the FA’s director of women’s football.
“To achieve that, it’s essential that players feel supported in environments that understand and respond to their female health needs.
“We’ve heard directly from grassroots players that they want better information and support around female health, but that they often don’t know where to find it.
“The launch of the Female Health Hub marks an important step in changing the landscape.
“We want every player to feel confident in her own skin and supported without judgment, so she can feel empowered by her body, rather than held back by it.”
The platform was launched following research conducted by the FA that highlighted the need for better education and support around female health in football.
According to the FA, 88 per cent of adult players surveyed said their menstrual cycle has an impact on their ability to train or play, but 86 per cent reported they had never received education about the menstrual cycle in relation to football performance and training.
The research also found 64 per cent of women experience issues related to sports bras or breast health while playing football, despite sports bras being considered one of the most important pieces of playing kit.
Players also expressed strong interest in learning more about injury prevention, at 87 per cent, nutrition, at 84 per cent, and mental health, at 77 per cent, in relation to female health.
The first phase of the Female Health Hub focuses on three of the most requested topics: menstrual health, breast health and injury resilience, with further content to follow, including nutrition and pelvic health guidance.
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