A survey of more than 383,000 UK women aged 18 to 50 has revealed a significant gap in menstrual health knowledge. The research, published by women's health platform Hertility, found that nearly one in four (22%) respondents did not know their menstrual cycle length. Among those under 25, this figure rises to one in three. Additionally, one in 10 women could not accurately say how long their period lasted.
Disconnect Between App Usage and Understanding
A YouGov poll in March 2024 found that 51% of women aged 44 and under use an app or device to monitor their cycles. However, Dr Helen O’Neill, CEO of Hertility and associate professor in reproductive and molecular genetics at UCL, warns that logging periods does not equate to understanding the fundamentals. 'Right now, a woman’s cycle lives in one app, her symptoms in another and her hormone results somewhere else,' Dr O’Neill explains. 'Each gives her a fragment of information, but not the whole picture, and the burden of interpreting it all has quietly shifted from healthcare systems onto women themselves.'
Lack of Education Fuels Ignorance
A 2024 study led by the University of Bristol and Anglia Ruskin University found that many young women left school lacking basic menstrual health knowledge, with 62.4% rating their education as 'poor' or 'very poor' at preparing them to manage their periods. Dr O’Neill notes that women often rely on family for menstrual education. 'If your mum, sister, and aunt all suffer, but have never been also taught about their own cycles, then you will learn that if your mum has really heavy, painful periods, then that is just what it is to have a period.'
Importance of Knowing Cycle Length
Out of the 383,000 respondents, 67.4% fell within the 'clinically regular' 21 to 35 day range. Dr O’Neill emphasizes tracking the time between periods, bleeding length, and heaviness. 'For example, count from the first day of one period to the first day of the next. Is it 25 days? Is it 32? Shorter? Longer? The same goes for the length of the bleed – if it’s too short or too long, it could be a sign that something isn’t right.' Irregularities can indicate ovulation problems, thyroid dysfunction, PCOS, or other conditions.
The report also found that 41% of women actively trying to conceive could not accurately identify their fertile window, meaning four in ten were trying for a baby without knowing when their bodies were most ready to conceive.
Barriers to Knowledge: Language and Taboo
Dr O’Neill argues that language plays a role in perpetuating shame. Terms such as 'menstrual waste' and 'sanitary products' reinforce the idea that periods are unclean. 'The words we use to describe female bodies contributes to a societal taboo around talking about our reproductive function. It’s also a very insidious way of planting a seed at an early age. In many ways, you’re telling a young girl that she’s not clean.'
Hertility's survey included 45,000 women about their journey to a PCOS diagnosis. A significant proportion had ruled themselves out of seeking care because they did not believe their symptoms were serious enough. Dr O’Neill hopes the report will empower women to understand their bodies and talk openly about menstrual health.
