Together with our collaborators, we research the experiences of people who menstruate in Australia to understand their needs and how to best support them.

Our research focuses on:

  1. Providing evidence to understand unmet menstrual health needs, particularly access to resources and facilities for menstruation among diverse population groups in Australia.

  2. Informed menstrual product choice, and the uptake of resusable menstrual products among young Australians.

  3. Evaluating the effectiveness of government initiatives to reduce menstrual product insecurity and providing research to inform evidence-based approaches.
Projects

Informed product choice, and reusable menstrual products

We are using surveys with young people in Australia to understand their menstrual product preferences, experiences, and what they need to support informed choice and menstrual health.

  • Through the annual Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll Survey we asked young people in Victoria about their use of menstrual products, experiences and motivations for using reusable menstrual products.

  • We surveyed young Australians who had ever tried using a reusable menstrual product (menstrual cups, reusable underwear or reusable pads) to understand their experiences, knowledge and support needs. Participants were recruited through the menstrual cycle tracking App Clue.

Reusables graphic v3
Publication

Young people's preferences of reusable menstrual products in Victoria

An annual survey of young people (aged 15–29) in Victoria, Australia asked questions about their menstrual product use, use of reusable materials, product priorities and preferences. Results demonstrate that many (48%) young people had tried or are using reusable products yet 37% reported not having enough information.

Read more Summary
Projects

Free menstrual products in public spaces

We undertook formative, qualitative research with a diverse range of people who menstruate in Victoria, Australia. We asked for their perspectives on the need for, and implementation of government initiatives to provide free menstrual products in public spaces.

Findings coming soon!