The Menarche, Menstruation, Menopause and Mental Health (4M) consortium was established in 2021 and brings together academic researchers from multiple disciplines to facilitate interdisciplinary, stakeholder-informed, impact-focused and inclusive research at the intersection of menstrual and mental health.
The 4M consortium hosted their inaugural conference in late June which took place at the University of Exeter. The theme of the conference was ‘Menstrual and Mental Health in Society’ and members of the MeJARa team at the University of Bath attended to present their research and network:
- Melanie Channon (pictured below), PI of the MeJARa project, presented on the mental health burden of menstrual restrictions in Nepal
- Jennifer Thomson presented research exploring where menstruation is within global health policy
- Rebecca Evans (pictured above) presented her PhD research which investigated how dysmenorrhea affects school participation in the Philippines and in the UK
- Minakshi Dahal presented research analysing public policies in Nepal, focusing specifically on the mental and psychosocial aspects of menstruation
- Josephine McAllister shared a poster on her PhD research which explores the impact of social norms on adolescent girls’ menstrual experiences in Nepal
The conference was a great opportunity to hear from other researchers working to improve menstrual health around the world and we left feeling very inspired. We were particularly interested in research exploring menstrual pain and its management, research in low- and middle-income countries, and research involving adolescent girls as these are key components of the MeJARa project. We look forward to hearing updates on all the amazing menstrual research that’s taking place at 4M conferences in the future!
Written by:
Josephine Mcallister