Heavy and painful periods linked to lower grades and attendance, study reveals

New research has found that heavy periods and menstrual pain in teenage girls are linked to lower grades and increased school absences.

The study, described as the most robust to date on this issue, examined data from 2,698 girls aged 13 to 16 in the Children of the 90s study, linking health records to school attendance and GCSE results from the Department for Education.

Led by the University of Bristol with the University of Exeter and funded by Wellcome, the study found 36 per cent of girls experienced heavy or prolonged bleeding.

This group missed an extra 1.7 school days a year and had a 27 per cent lower chance of achieving five GCSE passes.

Meanwhile, 56 per cent reported menstrual pain, which was linked to missing 1.2 more school days a year and a 16 per cent lower chance of achieving five passes.

Girls reporting both heavy bleeding and pain were more likely to be persistently absent from school.

Researchers said absence alone did not fully explain the effect on grades, with existing evidence showing symptoms also affect concentration.

Gemma Sawyer, PhD student at the University of Bristol who conducted the research, said: “Our large-scale study provides the most convincing evidence to date that menstrual symptoms are associated with lower attendance and attainment.

“This work supports what young people have reported struggling with in previous studies.

The link between menstrual symptoms and education remained even after taking into account factors such as maternal education, financial difficulties, ethnicity and age at starting menstruation.

Teenage girls in a focus group described challenges such as difficulty concentrating during periods, limited toilet access, embarrassment and stigma and lack of period products.

Gemma Sharp, professor of epidemiology at the University of Exeter who supervised the research, said: “We know from previous research that heavy and painful periods can impact attendance and concentration, and this study tells us that there’s also a link with attainment.

“It’s clear that people are capable of functioning at a high level regardless of their cycle, but we need a society that’s better set up to support them, particularly if they are experiencing heavy bleeding and pain.”

A team of researchers, led by Professor Sharp, has secured US$4.5m in funding from Wellcome Leap, obtained with support from regional university alliance GW4.

The funding will support new research to tackle the widespread and often overlooked issue of heavy menstrual bleeding in women.

Professor Sharp will use data from Bristol’s Children of the 90s and Born in Bradford cohorts to investigate biological factors underlying heavy bleeding.

This research forms part of the US$50m Missed Vital Sign programme – a global initiative aimed at earlier identification of heavy menstrual bleeding and the development of faster, more personalised care for women worldwide.