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Abstract Background Evidence on how menstrual characteristics may differ based on socioeconomic factors and self-rated health is significantly scarce. The main aim of this study was to investigate the associations between menstrual characteristics, sociodemographic factors and self-rated health among women and people who menstruate (PWM) aged 18–55 in Spain. Methods This cross-sectional study includes data from an online survey collected in March–July 2021 across Spain. Descriptive statistical analyses and multivariate logistic regression models were performed. Results The analyses included a total of 19,358 women and PWM. Mean age at menarche was 12.4 (SD = 1.5). While 20.3% of our participants experienced a menstrual abundance over 80 ml, 64.1% reported having menstrual blood clots; 6.4% menstruated for longer than 7 days. 17.0% had menstrual cycles that were shorter than 21 days or longer than 35 days. Reports of moderate (46.3%) and high (22.7%) intensity menstrual pain were common. 68.2% of our participants experienced premenstrual symptoms in all or most cycles. The odds for lighter menstrual flow, shorter bleeding days and menstrual cycles were higher as age increased, and amongst participants with less educational attainment. Caregivers presented higher odds for abundant menstrual flow and longer menstruations. Reporting financial constraints and a poorer self-rated health were risk factors for abundant menstrual flow, menstrual blood clots, shorter/longer menstruations and menstrual cycles, premenstrual symptoms, moderate and intense menstrual pain. Conclusions This study suggests that age, educational attainment, caregiving, experiencing financial hardship and a poorer self-rated health may shape or mediate menstrual characteristics. It thus highlights the need to investigate and address social inequities of health in menstrual research.

Abstract Background Menstrual research and policymaking have become imperative worldwide. It is necessary that these are informed by women and people who menstruate (PWM) alongside expert professionals and activists. Methods The main aim of this study was to identify and propose policies and community-based actions to address menstrual inequity and promote menstrual health in Catalonia (Spain). This study consisted of two qualitative studies: (a) 34 individual photoelicitation interviews with women and PWM, (b) a World Café study with 22 professionals and activists. Sampling for both studies was purposive and selective. Recruitment was conducted through healthcare centres, social media, key contacts, and snowball sampling techniques. Data were collected in December 2020-September 2022, and analysed using Framework Analysis. Results Participants considered the implementation of menstrual policies that address the taboo and stigma of menstruation to be crucial. They stressed the need for menstrual education, which should be integrated into formal education curricula. Participants, and especially women and PWM, highlighted the need to improve the access and quality of healthcare services, so that the menstrual cycle and menstruation are seen as health indicators. Health professionals should encourage agentic informed decisions, hence why both participant groups considered menstrual health education amongst health professionals to be pivotal. Taking action to improve the access and affordability of menstrual products was also imperative for participants, especially for socioeconomically vulnerable populations. Participants agreed on guaranteeing fully equipped menstrual management facilities, and and professionals discussed gender-neutral and sex-segregated bathrooms. Workplace menstrual policies to accommodate and ensure menstrual self-care were also suggested. Conclusions Our study highlights the need for multi-dimensional menstrual policies. These should include actions to address menstrual taboo and stigma, to promote menstrual education that goes beyond the hegemonic biomedical prism, to improve the access and quality of menstrual health services, along with policies ensuring adequate menstrual management facilities in public spaces and the access to menstrual products. Policymaking should also focus on how to ensure menstrual management and care in workplaces. Menstrual policies and community-based actions should be framed within intersectionality, to consider how societal structures of power and oppression influence menstrual experiences.

Abstract Background Available research suggests that menstrual inequity has an impact on (menstrual) health outcomes and emotional wellbeing. It is also a significant barrier to achieve social and gender equity and compromises human rights and social justice. The aim of this study was to describe menstrual inequities and their associations with sociodemographic factors, among women and people who menstruate (PWM) aged 18–55 in Spain. Methods A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted in Spain between March and July 2021. Descriptive statistical analyses and multivariate logistic regression models were performed. Results A total of 22,823 women and PWM were included in the analyses (Mean age = 33.2, SD = 8.7). Over half of the participants had accessed healthcare services for menstruation (61.9%). The odds for accessing menstrual-related services were significantly higher among participants with university education (aOR: 1.48, 95% CI, 1.13–1.95). Also, 57.8% reported having had partial or no menstrual education pre-menarche, with odds being higher among participants born in non-European or Latin American countries (aOR: 0.58, 95% CI, 0.36–0.93). Lifetime self-reported menstrual poverty was between 22.2–39.9%. Main risk factors for menstrual poverty were identifying as non-binary (aOR: 1.67, 95% CI, 1.32–2.11), being born in non-European or Latin American countries (aOR: 2.74, 95% CI, 1.77–4.24), and not having a permit to reside in Spain (aOR: 4.27, 95% CI, 1.94–9.38). Completed university education (aOR: 0.61, 95% CI, 0.44–0.84) and no financial hardship

Resumen Introducción La salud y la inequidad menstrual no han sido bien atendidas en las esferas social, económica, sanitaria y política. Aunque la evidencia disponible es escasa, ya sugiere un vínculo entre experiencias de inequidad menstrual (relativa a las dificultades sistemáticas para el acceso a la salud y educación menstrual, productos menstruales y espacios de manejo menstrual, entre otros aspectos) y la salud menstrual. El objetivo de este estudio fue explorar las experiencias de salud e inequidad menstrual en mujeres y personas que menstrúan (18–55 años) en Barcelona y alrededores (España). Métodos Estudio cualitativo desde una perspectiva feminista crítica. El muestreo fue intencionado y selectivo. El reclutamiento se realizó en centros de salud sexual y reproductiva, redes sociales y a través de técnicas de bola de nieve. Se realizaron 34 entrevistas semi-estructuradas utilizando foto-elicitación, entre diciembre de 2020 y febrero de 2021. Las entrevistas se llevaron a cabo en centros de salud sexual y reproductiva, espacios públicos y por teléfono. Los datos se analizaron mediante Análisis Temático Reflexivo. Resultados Se identificaron tres categorías: “Descuido sistemático de la menstruation y el cycle menstrual”, “Candy “lo privacy” se vuelve public: manejo menstrual” y “Navegando la salad menstrual: entree la medicalización y la agencia”. Las participantes compartieron diversas experiencias de inequidad menstrual. Diversas participantes compartieron experiencias de pobreza menstrual, al no poder acceder o escoger productos menstruales debido a su precio y disponibilidad. Según las participantes, los aprendizajes menstruales son escasos. Estos suelen darse a través de la experiencia propia y el autoaprendizaje, o de familiares y amigas. La menstruación y el ciclo menstrual parecen tener un impacto significativo en el día a día, incluyendo el impacto de tener que ocultar la menstruación y las barreras para manejar la menstruación en los espacios públicos. Se identificaron barreras para acceder y utilizar el sistema sanitario. Las participantes también reportaron la prescripción sistemática de anticonceptivos hormonales como panacea para abordar la salud menstrual. Conclusiones Es necesario desarrollar e implementar políticas estructurales y multidimensionales para promover la agencia de las mujeres y personas que menstrúan, así como de las comunidades, para generar oportunidades para aprender sobre la menstruación, acceder a productos menstruales y servicios de atención sanitaria, así como a espacios adecuados para el manejo menstrual. Fomentar la formación de profesionales de la salud es también crucial para mejorar el acceso y la calidad de la servicios para la salud menstrual. Estas políticas deben incluir a las personas trans y no binarias, así como a poblaciones más vulnerables.

Background: Available evidence suggests that menstrual health and management have been impaired during the COVID-19 syndemic. However, research in this area is scarce, and it is failing to voice the experiences of women and people who menstruate regarding their menstrual experiences. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the experiences of menstrual health and menstrual management among women and people who menstruate in the Barcelona area (Spain) during the COVID-19 syndemic. Design: This is a qualitative study, conducted taking a critical feminist approach, is embedded in the ‘Equity and Menstrual Health in Spain’ project. Methods: It includes photo-elicitation individual interviews with 34 women and people who menstruate in the area of Barcelona (Spain). Data were collected in person and through telephone calls between December 2020 and February 2021. Analyses were performed using Thematic Analysis. Results: Main findings navigated through the menstrual changes experienced by some participants, especially women living with long COVID-19, and the barriers to access healthcare and menstrual products during COVID-19. While some participants experienced menstrual poverty, this did not appear to be exacerbated during COVID-19. Instead, access to menstrual products was compromised based on products’ availability and mobility restrictions. Menstrual management and self-care were generally easier, given that menstrual experiences were almost exclusively relegated to private spaces during lockdown periods. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the need to further research and policy efforts towards promoting menstrual health and equity, considering social determinants of health, and taking intersectional and gender-based approaches. These strategies should be further encouraged in social and health crises such as the COVID-19 syndemic.

Objective: Endometriosis greatly impacts women’s health and quality of life. However, research on the prevalence and incidence of endometriosis remains inconclusive. This study assesses time trends in the prevalence and incidence of endometriosis diagnoses in Catalonia (Spain) from 2009 to 2018, considering differences by age and socioeconomic status. Methods: Population-based cohort study using data from the Information System for Research in Primary Care (SIDIAP) database. Data were included from over 2.4 million women aged 15–55 years between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2018. Results: A total of 2,337,717 women were selected as the incident population; 0.7% had an endometriosis diagnosis. Median (interquartile range) age at diagnosis was 37 (32–43) years. Most women were European (92.3%) and lived in urban areas (73.6%). Overall prevalence of endometriosis consistently increased during the 2009–2018 period, and it was 1.24% in 2018. Trends were the highest for women with less socioeconomic deprivation and for the 35–44 years age group. Median incidence rates were 94.9 (92.6–102.9) per 100,000 women-years, being the highest in women aged 35–44 years throughout the whole study period. Overall, incidence increased between 2015 and 2017, and plateaued or decreased in 2018. Incidence rates in women from the most deprived and rural areas were lower, although incidence time trends by socioeconomic status were unclear. Conclusion: Healthcare services and public health strategies need to be strengthened to ensure timely endometriosis diagnosis and treatment. Special attention should be given to the most affected populations and the social inequities of health.

Background Menstrual products are necessary goods for women and people who menstruate to manage menstruation. Understanding the use and perceptions of menstrual products is key to promote menstrual equity and menstrual health. This study aimed at assessing the use and perceptions on menstrual products among women and people who menstruate aged 18–55 in Spain. Methods A mixed-methods study was conducted, including a cross-sectional study (N = 22,823), and a qualitative study (N = 34). Results Participants used a combination of products. Non-reusable products were the most used, while over half used reusable products. Usage changed when data were stratified by age, gender identification, completed education, country of birth and experiencing financial issues. It also varied between trans and cis participants. Menstrual products’ use also shifted based on experiences of menstrual poverty and access to information and products. Overall, reusable products were perceived to be more acceptable than non-reusable. Barriers to use the menstrual cup were also identified, including experiences of menstrual inequity (e.g., menstrual poverty, lack of access to information or menstrual management facilities). Conclusion Perceptions and choices of menstrual products need to be acknowledged, especially when designing and implementing menstrual policies to address menstrual inequity and menstrual health.