How does menstrual stigma affect health, participation, and equality, and why do experts call for more supportive schools and workplaces?
Menstruation is shaped not only by biological changes but also by the social attitudes and environments surrounding it. A new study in Spain involving over 4,000 participants explored how stigma related to menstruation affects people’s daily routines, participation in social activities, and overall well-being. ()
The research was carried out by the INGENIO Institute, a collaborative center of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and its findings were published in the journal BMC Women’s Health.
This paper is the fourth output from a broader research project examining menstrual health in Spain. Earlier studies from the project looked at topics such as menstrual education, stigma, and access to healthcare, while this latest work focuses specifically on how menstruation influences everyday social experiences.
Menstruation’s Impact on Clothing Choices and Activities
The results show that menstruation continues to influence everyday activities. Only 15.4% of participants say they maintain their routine without change on those days, while many adapt their behavior to avoid potential discomfort or exposure. Among the most common strategies are avoiding certain types of clothing (36%), avoiding white garments (48%), reducing sports activities (21%) or limiting activities such as swimming or going to the beach (22%).
The research indicates that these decisions are not solely based on physical discomfort. Factors such as anxiety about possible stained clothing, lack of adequate facilities, or fear of adverse reactions from those around them reflect the persistence of social norms that maintain that menstruation should be managed discreetly and quietly.
Menstrual Pain Often Ignored in Work and Education
In the educational and work spheres, many participants describe having gone to class or work despite experiencing severe pain, nausea or fatigue. In contrast, others report having missed work on occasion due to menstrual symptoms. Specifically, 41% report having missed work at some point due to discomfort such as pain, nausea or vomiting, while 44% say they have never done so. The testimonies collected show that, even in the face of incapacitating symptoms, some people continue to attend for fear of losing their job or being perceived as less committed.
‘Often, menstrual discomfort is not recognized as a legitimate need for support, but as something that can undermine credibility. In a context where menstruation has been used to exclude women from certain roles, showing vulnerability can be perceived as a collective risk,’ says Sara Sánchez-López, a researcher at the INGENIO Institute (UPV-CSIC).
The study collects testimonies of mockery and humiliating situations related to menstruation that participants experienced both in adolescence and adulthood. While in the early stages these experiences tend to manifest as comments or ridicule from classmates or friends, in adulthood they are more often expressed as rejection or condescending attitudes in the immediate environment, such as with partners or co-workers.
The results also show a high number of responses describing how menstruation has been used to question or discredit emotions, decisions or conflicts in everyday contexts, especially in interpersonal or domestic settings.
‘These situations reinforce stereotypes linking menstruation with a lack of emotional control or irrationality, which can translate into reduced credibility,’ says Rocío Poveda Bautista, also a researcher at INGENIO and co-author of the study. Alongside these barriers, the results also identify protective factors.
The research team notes that supportive, flexible environments—at work, school, or home—help reduce the impact of stigma and facilitate greater participation and well-being.
Why Talking Openly About Menstruation Matters
‘The most positive experiences are associated with contexts where talking about menstruation does not cause discomfort and where the physical or emotional needs linked to the cycle are recognized,’ says Santiago Moll López, from the Applied Mathematics Department at the Universitat Politècnica de València and co-author of the study.
Therefore, the results of this study highlight that menstruation continues to be a relevant factor for health, social participation, and equality, and point to the need to move towards educational, work, and healthcare environments that are better informed and more sensitive to this reality.
Dr Dani Barrington, an international expert in menstrual health from the University of Western Australia, also participated in the study. The research was funded by the RI-SABIO project, financed by the Valencian Regional Government, which focuses on management models for responsible research and innovation in health and biomedical research structures.
References:
- Mapping the Social Impact of Menstrual Stigma in Spain – (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12905-025-04168-2)
Source-Eurekalert