WEC to question GPs and campaigners on breaking the taboos around young women’s menstrual and reproductive health
The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) will hear from clinicians, campaigners and educators including TV doctor Dr Nighat Arif, and women’s health communicator Dr Aziza Sesay,during the second evidence session in Parliament of its new inquiry into reproductive health conditions among girls and young women.
Meeting details
The session will focus on tackling stigma and taboos around periods, effective teaching about menstrual wellbeing in schools, including Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE), countering online misinformation, the pros and cons of ‘FemTech’ such as period trackers, and access to free period products, particularly in schools and colleges.
MPs on the cross-party committee, chaired by Labour MP Sarah Owen, will also assess the potential impacts of NHS reforms, particularly the Government's proposed refresh of the Women's Health Strategy for England, expected in 2026.
WEC’s new inquiry explores whether girls and young women are being listened to and taken seriously by healthcare professionals and the extent to which they are receiving more effective and quicker diagnoses, and better treatment and pain management, in turn reducing any potential impact on their education, employment outcomes, and fertility.
The Committee’s report in December 2024, warned women experiencing painful reproductive health conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis and heavy menstrual bleeding are frequently finding their symptoms “normalised” and their pain “dismissed” when seeking help.Pervasive stigma associated with menstrual health, a lack of education and “medical misogyny” has contributed to poor awareness of these conditions, the report concluded.