Periods are part of many of our lives. Every month from when you are about 12 years old, you learn to live with your period with varying symptoms every month.
Some find out their symptoms are abnormal which starts the chase for diagnoses which often take years.
According to UNICEF, over two billion people in the world menstruate, yet the culture persists that those who menstruate need to be quiet about their periods, deal with it and not make a fuss about it.
How could you tell your teacher you need the toilet the second time in the past hour due to fear of bleeding through? The whispers among teenage girls asking if anyone has a spare tampon or the constant check you get your best friend to do just in case your clothes have stained.
Menstruation is often seen as a natural part of girlhood, but a closer look exposes underlying structural challenges. The impact on education is substantial. It affects attendance, productivity and academic outcomes and is rarely discussed in a higher education context.
Where’s the policy?
In the middle of summer 2025, while going through my usual Wonkhe scroll, I came across coverage of a HEPI report on menstruation, which showed that 70 per cent of students are affected by their periods, leading them to miss about six weeks per academic year.
This was unsurprising but still unsettling.
These stats were for people whose periods were deemed as “normal,” the number of missed lectures rose to 11 when students were diagnosed with a menstrual condition.
Over 85 per cent of providers in the UK have no period policy that provides guidance on best practice. The 15 per cent that do only provide this for staff, not students.
This led us at Exeter Students’ Guild to launch a university-wide survey, gathering almost 500 responses, echoing similar results to the HEPI survey.
When asked how menstruation affected students, 92 per cent reported difficulty in focusing during an exam, leading to lower outcome.
However, only 27 per cent of respondents said they have missed an exam because of their periods. The non-negotiable nature of exams means students turn up even when they don’t feel their best and without any extenuating circumstances or support.
Students mentioned feeling shame and felt like missing an exam because of their periods made them seem unserious.
Research led by the University of Bristol and University of Exeter, found that periods were linked to lower GCSE results. Gemma Sharp, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Exeter, who supervised the research said, “We know from previous research that heavy and painful periods can impact attendance and concentration, and this study tells us that there’s also a link with attainment.”
If menstruation can affect attainment at GCSE level, there is little reason to assume its impact simply disappears once arriving at university.
Making change in the exam hall
From the survey findings we concluded that students needed better support during examinations, including 24-hour online exams.
To address this we developed various practical solutions.
The first is to provide invigilator training to ensure staff can support students who are menstruating with sensitivity and discretion. This training would equip staff with guidance on best practice.
For example, a student experiencing heavy bleeding may require additional toilet breaks and it is vital that their dignity and privacy are preserved at all times.
The next is embedding menstrual health awareness within wider wellbeing strategies. This ensures students feel seen and supported while signposting available support and encouraging students to seek help where needed. This could be signposting to a GP, pastoral mentor or health advisor.
This would also support students to explore options such as reasonable adjustments or mitigation in cases where period symptoms have been disabling or negatively impacting their grades.
We also proposed menstrual care packs in examination halls which offer immediate and practical support. These packs could help alleviate symptoms and may include pain relief, heat patches or hot water bottles, enabling students to manage their discomfort without unnecessary disruption to their exams.
Break the stigma
Menstrual health has been historically underfunded and dismissed as a non-issue.
As a result, people have had to endure and try their “best,” when they are not physically able to do so. These experiences are overlooked and minimised in society, and this extends to HE.
Women’s health issues do not just stop after an exam, they extend into wider reproductive health issues such as menopause where knowledge gaps continue to exist.
It is time for universities and student unions to pay attention and break down the stigma around female reproductive health.
Institutions can start by putting clear menstrual health policies in place. These should keep students informed and reassured, while giving staff simple, practical guidance on how to support them. That includes supporting students dealing with symptoms in exams and day-to-day study, making lectures easier to access, and making sure existing support is easy to find.
The goal is to build this into existing processes, not as a one-off campaign, but as a steady, positive shift in culture toward better understanding and support.
We now have the opportunity to push for better. This is about recognition, this is about menstrual equity.
