The impact of menstruation on students¡¯ learning, well-being and access to higher education is ¡°underestimated and under-supported¡±, according to a new report.

Students are regularly forced to miss classes, suffer from diminished concentration and face barriers in assessment as a result of?symptoms experienced during the menstrual cycle, the paper, The Hidden Impact of Menstruation in Higher Education, finds.

The study draws on responses from more than 1,500 students and finds, on average, affected students miss 10 study days per academic year?because of symptoms associated with menstruation.

For those with diagnosed menstrual health conditions, this increases to 19 days per year ¨C equivalent to more than 11 weeks of missed classes across a three-year degree.

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The report?refers to?affected students as?¡°people who menstruate¡± and says this is wording ¡°carefully chosen¡± because 10 per cent of the female students who answered the survey had not had a period in the last 12 months. The report adds that some trans men and people who classify themselves as non-binary do menstruate.

Seventy per cent of affected respondents report being unable to concentrate on studies or assessments because of period pain, while 45 per cent cite heavy menstrual bleeding as a factor.

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Conversely, 15 per cent of the students said that during certain phases of their menstrual cycle, they experienced a noticeable mental or physical boost that improved their focus or performance.

The report also finds that one in six experienced period poverty in the past year. Almost half those students missed classes as a result.

Despite these effects, only 15 per cent of universities surveyed had any menstruation-related policy in place ¨C and none applied to students.

¡°These findings demonstrate the hidden impact of periods and menstrual cycles on students¡¯ higher education studies,¡± said report author Rose Stephenson, director of policy at the Higher Education Policy Institute.

¡°Menstrual health is not a niche concern. It is a structural issue that deserves thoughtful institutional and governmental responses.¡±

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Cultural silence and stigma remain major barriers, with many students reporting that they conceal their symptoms to avoid judgement.

¡°I would say I have a headache rather than being on my period,¡± said one student. ¡°I feel like people would look at me and think, ¡®why are you a crybaby¡¯ rather than just getting on with it.¡±

The University of East London is cited as an example of good practice for its ¡°Shine Project¡±, the first university-wide screening programme for iron deficiency, anaemia and heavy menstrual bleeding.

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The report urges other institutions to follow suit and take proactive steps to reduce stigma, improve access to support and embed menstruation-related considerations into assessment and well-being policies.

Recommendations include comprehensive menstrual education for all pupils regardless of gender, the provision of free period products across university campuses, and a review of extenuating circumstances frameworks to explicitly include menstrual health issues ¨C even in the absence of a formal diagnosis.

Sally?Mapstone, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of St Andrews, described the report as ¡°an important intervention into a longstanding but often underexamined aspect of the student experience¡±.

¡°For many students, menstruation and the menstrual cycle affect not just comfort but capacity,¡± she said. ¡°It should be understood in the round: a normal, cyclical element of life, with the potential both to challenge and to inform.¡±

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tash.mosheim@timeshigehreducation.com