Society for Menstrual Cycle Research

Society for Menstrual Cycle Research The Society for Menstrual Cycle Research is a nonprofit, interdisciplinary research organization com

The Society for Menstrual Cycle Research, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1979 by a multidisciplinary group of women who were pioneers in understanding the centrality of menstrual cycle research to women’s health. We are an interdisciplinary group of researchers, health care providers, policy makers, and students who share an interest in women’s lives and health needs as they are related

to the menstrual cycle. We sponsor a biennial conference, a newsletter, the journal Women’s Reproductive Health, and the blog Re:Cycling. Our mission is to be the source of guidance, expertise, and ethical considerations for researchers, practitioners, policy makers and funding resources interested in the menstrual cycle. We offer a network of communication and support that spans discipline, professional responsibilities, and geography to provide woman-centered perspectives on menstrual experiences. Membership is open to individuals who have an interest in research on the menstrual cycle or related issues, and who support the purposes of the Society:

-to identify research priorities, to recommend research strategies, and to promote interdisciplinary woman-centered research on the menstrual cycle.
-to provide a formal communication network to facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue about menstrual cycle events in the context of women’s health over the life span.
-to examine the practical, ethical and policy issues surrounding menstrual cycle research.
-to generate and exchange information and to promote public discussion of issues related to the menstrual cycle.
-to influence public policy for the enhancement of women’s health.

This study interviewed 12 pregnant women and analyzed the discussions using critical discursive psychology and positioni...
06/11/2026

This study interviewed 12 pregnant women and analyzed the discussions using critical discursive psychology and positioning theory to understand how they maintained a physically active identity during pregnancy. Pregnant women resisted traditional virtues associated with mothering, including sacrifice and selflessness, instead negotiating a medicalised-risk discourse to reframe physical activity as an autonomy-giving practice. Findings suggest that health promotion messaging should support empowerment and advocacy and challenge misconceptions about exercising during pregnancy, reducing the need for women to adopt a rebellious stance.

✍️ Rebecca Livingston, Michael Larkin, Ellinor Olander & Lou Atkinson

Read more: https://doi.org/10.1080/23293691.2026.2669807
. .

Women’s Reproductive Health is the official journal of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research. Join the Society to receive free access to the journal: https://www.menstruationresearch.org/

This article addresses the limited understanding and research into reproductive autonomy (RA), which has largely been re...
06/09/2026

This article addresses the limited understanding and research into reproductive autonomy (RA), which has largely been restricted to pregnancy-specific experiences. The authors argue for a more holistic understanding of reproductive autonomy that considers RA’s influence on maternal mental health, mother-child relationships, and postpartum experiences.

✍️ Haley L. Ringenary & Emily D. Gerstein

Read more:
https://doi.org/10.1080/23293691.2026.2664020
. .

Women’s Reproductive Health is the official journal of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research. Join the Society to receive free access to the journal: https://www.menstruationresearch.org/

This study explored experiences of partograph use and its impact on obstetric care among 34 midwives in rural Ghana, usi...
06/05/2026

This study explored experiences of partograph use and its impact on obstetric care among 34 midwives in rural Ghana, using a phenomenological study design. Midwives were found to perceive partograph as an easy and valuable tool for monitoring labor and improving maternal and newborn outcomes; however, its use was hindered by staff shortages, limited resources, and inadequate training. Findings highlight the need for increased staffing, comprehensive training, consistent resource availability, and stronger enforcement of partograph use to improve labor outcomes.

✍️ Prince Owusu Adoma, Bethran Osei-Yeboah, Saansong Omar Ansir Ahmed, Francis Acquah & Emmanuel Manu

Read more: https://doi.org/10.1080/23293691.2026.2637763
. .

Women’s Reproductive Health is the official journal of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research. Join the Society to receive free access to the journal: https://www.menstruationresearch.org/

Using interviews with 42 Filipino incarcerated women, this study explored how imprisonment affects menstrual and reprodu...
06/02/2026

Using interviews with 42 Filipino incarcerated women, this study explored how imprisonment affects menstrual and reproductive health. The study identified three key themes: increased menstrual discomfort, limited control over menstrual health, and coping with deprivation. The findings suggest that prison conditions—such as restricted access to pain relief, hygiene resources, and familiar self-care practices—intensify menstrual discomfort, highlighting the need for prison reforms that better support women’s health and well-being.

✍️ Romulo Nieva & Emma Plugge

Read more:
https://doi.org/10.1080/23293691.2026.2666246
. .

Women’s Reproductive Health is the official journal of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research. Join the Society to receive free access to the journal: https://www.menstruationresearch.org/

This qualitative study examined how economic dependency within a patriarchal system influences reproductive autonomy amo...
05/27/2026

This qualitative study examined how economic dependency within a patriarchal system influences reproductive autonomy among nine married women in India, aged 20–50 years. Using in-depth interviews collected through purposive and snowball sampling and analyzed with Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis, eight themes revealed three interconnected layers: structural forces, negotiated agency, and cultural reproduction. Connecting to feminist standpoints and Marxist feminist theories, this study’s findings highlight a need for interventions that address economic independence alongside broader cultural and structural change.

✍️ Sumedha Jain, Sreeja Kundu, Tanisha Lakhani, Shreya Kapoor, Siddhi Pania & Akanksha Rani

Read more:
https://doi.org/10.1080/23293691.2026.2663171 . .
Women’s Reproductive Health is the official journal of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research. Join the Society to receive free access to the journal: https://www.menstruationresearch.org/

This qualitative study explored the menstrual experiences of 20 Aboriginal women in metropolitan Perth, Western Australi...
05/25/2026

This qualitative study explored the menstrual experiences of 20 Aboriginal women in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia, using two age-specific yarning groups to examine sociocultural influences and interactions with healthcare providers. Findings highlighted the social and well-being impacts of menstruation, generational differences in experiences, and ongoing barriers to menstrual care, emphasizing the need for culturally responsive, holistic approaches and policies to support Aboriginal women’s menstrual health and well-being.

✍️ Talila Milroy, Jacqueline Frayne, Kate Smith & Dawn Bessarab

Read more:

https://doi.org/10.1080/23293691.2026.2627355 . .
Women’s Reproductive Health is the official journal of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research. Join the Society to receive free access to the journal: https://www.menstruationresearch.org/

Through sharing some robust “normal range” diagnostic boundaries regarding cycle length, blood loss, period pain, mood, ...
05/20/2026

Through sharing some robust “normal range” diagnostic boundaries regarding cycle length, blood loss, period pain, mood, and other common cyclic changes, this article helps to bridge the knowledge gap in differentiating typical menstrual changes from underlying conditions. King provides an overview of healthy menstrual physiology and examines the gap in education and common tropes that conflate healthy with pathological experiences. The article aims to help improve menstrual health and literacy, reduce diagnostic delays, and stop the normalisation of debilitating symptoms.

✍️ Sally King

Read more: https://doi.org/10.1080/23293691.2026.2652925
. .

Women’s Reproductive Health is the official journal of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research. Join the Society to receive free access to the journal: https://www.menstruationresearch.org/

Using in-depth qualitative interviews with 30 participants in Victoria, British Columbia, this grounded theory-based art...
05/15/2026

Using in-depth qualitative interviews with 30 participants in Victoria, British Columbia, this grounded theory-based article examines the ongoing challenges of obtaining a PCOS diagnosis and navigating PCOS-related healthcare. Findings introduce the concept of “patient work,” highlighting the enduring work involved in “becoming a patient”, the labour of “being a patient”, and the continual self-monitoring demanded by lifestyle and drug therapies perceived of as offering little benefit.

✍️ Thea Cacchioni

Read more: https://doi.org/10.1080/23293691.2026.2642092
. .

Women’s Reproductive Health is the official journal of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research. Join the Society to receive free access to the journal: https://www.menstruationresearch.org/

This study used semi-structured interviews with 56 women aged 18–24 from five districts in Greater Masaka, Uganda, to ex...
05/12/2026

This study used semi-structured interviews with 56 women aged 18–24 from five districts in Greater Masaka, Uganda, to explore survivors’ needs and preferences for sexual violence care. Participants identified barriers to accessing healthcare, including medication shortages, costs, bureaucratic delays, and gender-insensitive policies. Survivors emphasised the importance of holistic services that address physical, psychological, and economic support, with priorities including female providers, confidentiality, community support, and economic empowerment.

✍️ Massy Mutumba, Lindsay Stark, Luissa Vahedi, Raymond Atwebembere, Phionah Namatovu, Gertrude Nabbosa, Derek Brown & Fred M. Ssewamala

Read more: https://doi.org/10.1080/23293691.2026.2653751
. .

Women’s Reproductive Health is the official journal of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research. Join the Society to receive free access to the journal: https://www.menstruationresearch.org/

-informedservices

This paper draws on medical sociology, feminist theory and trauma studies to challenge biomedical narratives of endometr...
05/08/2026

This paper draws on medical sociology, feminist theory and trauma studies to challenge biomedical narratives of endometriosis through four themes: medical dismissal and diagnostic delay; trauma as an amplifier of pain; erasure of intersectional identities in clinical care; and patient resistance through self-advocacy. Findings show systemic biases – racism, sexism, classism, ableism and transphobia – compound the trauma of endometriosis, calling for trauma-informed, intersectional, and reproductive-justice frameworks to improve care.

✍️ Rachelle Warner & Jodie C. Avery

Read more: https://doi.org/10.1080/23293691.2026.2636611
. .

Women’s Reproductive Health is the official journal of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research. Join the Society to receive free access to the journal: https://www.menstruationresearch.org/

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