Destigmatizing the Menstrual Cycle

Activists in menstrual health and equity discuss how destigmatizing menstruation, improving health outcomes, and achieving reproductive justice are all interconnected.

Our Bodies Ourselves, Mass NOW, and the Massachusetts Menstrual Equity Coalition hosted the third annual Massachusetts Menstrual Equity Summit at Suffolk University on December 6, 2025.

Menstruation has a very long history of stigma, which continues into the present.

This report, commissioned by Irise International and the Global Menstrual Collective, defines menstrual justice and addresses other areas of justice that overlap with menstrual justice. It provides case studies and recommendations for activists.

Observations and lessons from Black and Latine students in Chicago who are pushing back against period shame and period poverty in their schools.

Yasmine AlSayyad sums up new efforts to better understand periods and the female reproductive system. The article highlights two recent books: "Womb" by midwife Leah Hazard and "Period" by anthropologist Kate Clancy.

Érica Carnevalli reports on what happens when low income women and women living in poverty cannot afford the menstrual products that they need. How can we use education and legislation to end period poverty?

Menstruation continues to be used as a justification to keep women and menstruating people out of sports. This article by Christine Yu urges us to make space for discussing periods in the male-dominated world of athletic competition.

Why don’t we celebrate the transition to menopause? Melanie Faranello explores this question while reflecting on the stigma and shame surrounding both menstruation and menopause.

Find organizations and groups who are working to challenge menstrual taboos and fighting for safe and accessible menstrual products and medical care.

What is the menstrual cycle? What happens in our bodies and how do the different stages of menstruation feel?

The complex racist (and misogynist) history of vulvar and vaginal douches, sprays, and washes, as well as racial disparities in their use today