O3285: Menstruation Education Centered Around Hands-On Skills

Background: The responsibility of teaching menstruation skills is not clearly defined between parents and educators. Parents may rely on personal experiences, which may be limited to their cultural upbringing, single-parent status, or discomfort with the topic. Meanwhile, educators often focus on anatomy and physiology, delivering lessons that students may find disengaging and impractical. Further, Louisiana does not mandate sexual education in schools. In 2020, only 11% of middle school students and 24% of high school students received comprehensive sexual education, which does not explicitly cover menstruation. Lack of period preparedness can negatively impact body image, cause distress and confusion, and reinforce stigmatization.

Project Description: Period Prepared is an organization dedicated to providing hands-on menstruation curriculum for students in grades 3-12. The curriculum was developed utilizing design-thinking principles through participation in a social innovation and entrepreneurship fellowship. Stakeholder interviews targeted menstruators, teachers, parents, and physicians. Workshop topics are informed by community surveys and focus groups. Key topics include period hygiene, menstrual hygiene, and recognizing what is clinically expected. Additional niche topics like playing sports while menstruating and pelvic floor therapy are also included. Skill-building activities are integral to each lesson-plan allowing students to implement their newfound knowledge immediately (Figure 1). Medical student volunteers teach sessions in the classroom. Additionally, parents and educators can facilitate workshops independently by accessing the Period Prepared curriculum online. Medical student volunteers are also available to build educators’ capacity by teaching them how to lead workshops and acting as a resource for menstrual health.

Discussion: Preliminary evidence suggests that this program is well-received by educators, parents, and youth. Students remain actively engaged and ask questions openly despite initial expectations that they may shy away due to the taboo nature of menstruation. Facilitators found that small group sessions ( < 10 students) with similar-aged menstruators were most effective in fostering conversations compared to larger groups that spanned greater than four grade levels. Notably, pre-menstruators (ages 8-10) showed enthusiasm for more advanced topics, reinforcing the idea that preparedness fosters confidence. While using an anonymous system to ask questions on index cards, students demonstrated that even with prior knowledge, they valued dedicated time to address their unanswered questions in a judgement-free setting. Likewise, parents and teachers responded positively to the program and specifically appreciated the use of permission slips and online workshop material demonstrations.

Conclusion: Small-group learning, engaging activities, and peer support converge through Period Prepared to create an empowering environment for menstruators to learn about their health. This program addresses a critical health need in our community. Ongoing efforts for growth and sustainability include forming long-term partnerships with school districts to formally integrate the curriculum and providing additional resources to help teachers and parents lead sessions independently.