Education suffers from period pain A new study has revealed the impact menstrual disorders and period pain is having on the education of young women, as journalist Jessica Willis writes. Menstrual disorders are highly prevalent in adolescents and young women. Period pain affects about 75 percent of women under 25 worldwide, a figure that increases to 90 percent for young women in Australia. Researchers from Western Sydney University, the University of South Australia and Middlebury College in the United States surveyed 4,202 young Australian women aged between 13-25 years old on their menstrual pain and academic achievement. 90% suffered period pain Over 90 percent of participants reported period pain, with more than half reporting pain with every menstrual cycle in the past three months before the survey. While over a third said they had recently missed at least one class of school or university in the past three menstrual cycles due to period pain, similar numbers missed a whole day of school or university. This is concerning given the established link between absenteeism and academic achievement – when absenteeism increases, academic achievement decreases – as well as other adverse consequences such
as increased social isolation and disengagement from peers and community. Presenteeism was also found to be a major issue with participants reporting issues with concentration during classes, poorer performance during classes as well as assessments or tests due to period pain. Dr Mike Armour at Western Sydney University’s NICM Health Research Institute led the study, calling it a wake up call for the need to remove stigma around periods and for more flexibility and support to be provided to students and those teaching them. “Education takes a hit when students miss school, so it’s concerning that over a third of young women reported missing a whole day of school or university in the previous three months,” Armour said. Period pain can be severe Dr Jane Chalmers, co-author of the study and senior lecturer at the University of South Australia, said the impact of menstrual pain can be severe. “Period pain can significantly affect young women’s mood, energy level and consequently their work or school performance,” Dr Chalmers said. “This significant level of impact is higher than previous studies have shown and it suggests that younger women are not getting sufficient relief from their period pain.”
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An overwhelming majority of the women surveyed were also worried about how to hide their period, and the risk of bleeding through their clothes. Over half also reported pelvic pain when not having their period, a concern as this can be a sign of persistent pelvic pain caused by conditions such as endometriosis which is not uncommon in adolescents and young women (it can range from early to advanced stage even at a young age). Open communication between students and teachers would help Professor Kathryn Holmes, another coauthor from the University of Western Sydney, said the study shows open communication between students and teaching staff would help, but many young women are unwilling to raise issues with their teachers. Only 11 percent of young women at school said they would talk to a teacher about their period-related problems. About a third said they would speak to a teacher but only if the teacher was a woman. “This reluctance stems from feelings of embarrassment or perceptions that teachers would not respond in a caring manner if symptoms were reported,” Professor Holmes said. According to the study, reasons teachers may be reluctant or avoid teaching on sexual health and relationships in schools varies from an overcrowded curriculum and little
