About us
The Menstruation Research Network (UK) supports research across sectors, bringing together researchers, activists, artists, campaigners, educators and medical practitioners to share knowledge about menstruation.
The formation of the network was initially supported by a Wellcome Trust Small Network Grant (February 2018 – February 2020). We ran three conferences at three Scottish universities during this time, bringing together people from different fields and locations to discuss various aspects of menstruation.
We were then awarded funding from the Royal Society of Edinburgh for a 3-year project (2020-2022) to research the history and meanings of the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act (2021).
We received further funding from the Wellcome Trust in 2022, to hold three annual conferences 2022-2024.
The MRN is currently administratively housed at the University of Aberdeen (PI Camilla Mørk Røstvik). The RSE project is run through the University of St Andrews (PI Bettina Bildhauer).
We’re making progress…
Since the establishment of The Menstruation Research Network UK (MRN) in 2018, the presence of menstruation has continued to increase in politics and policy, law and medicine, environmental debates and economic discourse.
Scotland has passed the Period Product (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act making access to period products a right for all residents. British, Scottish, Welsh and Irish governments have commissioned reports into product costs, pollution, and shame.
The network has been involved in these debates, lending interdisciplinary expertise about menstruation to policy makers, colleagues, and activists. Today, the continuation of the network is more necessary than ever, as menstrual discourse shifts from a focus on poverty and products to the root cause of menstrual taboos: shame, invisibility, exclusion, and fear. Likewise, now is the time to document the positive sides of menstruation including activism, art, and joy.
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