Why we need to talk to teens about heavy periods

In this blog Lara Steele, Brook’s Digital and Marketing Coordinator talks about Brook’s work with BritSPAG to raise awareness of heavy periods among teens.

Heavy periods are common among teenagers – around 1 in 3 experience them. Yet it’s still widely under-recognised. Many young people don’t realise that their periods are heavy or think it’s just something they have to “put up with”. This leaves many teenagers without support and with heavy periods impacting their wellbeing and education.

Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is the most common gynaecological reason teenagers are referred to secondary care. These referrals are likely just the tip of the iceberg with many being managed in primary care or not seeking help.  

That’s why raising awareness is so important. With funding from BritSPAG, our #knowyourflow project aims to help change this by improving awareness in schools and sharing clear information online. Our aim is to empower young people to recognise when their periods are heavy and feel confident to ask for support.

What did we learn about heavy periods among teens?

We ran a workshop with a small group of young people aged 14-18 who experience heavy periods. The session drew on their lived experience to help us identify key messages and preferred formats to make sure the resources were engaging for their age group. 

What really stood out were the significant gaps in knowledge that many of them learnt by themselves. None of the young people had learnt about heavy periods at school. Instead, many only realised their periods were heavy through conversations with friends:

I realised when I was having a conversation with my friends and they were confused on why I used two pads.”

When my friends picked up on me going to the bathroom to change my pad wayyy more often than they did and that the anxiety behind my periods wasn’t normal.”

They also spoke about the struggles of having to manage their periods. Menstrual cups and period pants can be particularly helpful for heavy periods because they tend to hold more blood than pads of tampons – but some didn’t learn about these at school or were still nervous about how to use some period products like tampons. Others weren’t aware that products come in different absorbencies.

A recurring theme was the worry about leaking. With a heavy flow, comes greater risk of leaking onto underwear, clothes and bedsheets. And for some, school policies made this anxiety worse. One young person described how restrictions on leaving lessons to use the toilet increased their anxiety about leaking. The difficulties and challenges that their periods brought clearly had a real and significant impact on their wellbeing and lives, one of them referred to this general dread of their period as “period anxiety”.

Perhaps the strongest feeling shared by the group was a desire to reduce stigma. They didn’t want other young people to feel alone or embarrassed about asking for help or seeing a doctor. Periods have a huge impact on their lives, yet they’re still not openly talked about. The young people told us they wanted their peers to understand heavy periods better and to be able to talk openly. One young person shared how, when she goes to change her pad at school, she walks down the corridor holding it in her hand because she refuses to feel embarrassed or hide something that’s part of her everyday life.

Read young people’s experiences of heavy periods

What did we do with these insights?

We asked the group what they wanted from resources and reels about heavy periods. They wanted honesty and support – real blood in the posters and reassurance that they’re not being dramatic for asking for help.

We then created draft resources and sought wider feedback through surveys to make sure our resources supported young people with their questions and concerns. We worked with Consultant Gynaecologist, Dr Sarah Channing to make sure the information is clinically accurate.

You can now access our free awareness-raising posters and lesson handouts on our free resources page. Our reels aimed at young people are launching on our TikTok and Instagram channels later this week under the hashtag #knowyourflow.

If you work with young people, raising awareness of the symptoms and treatment options for heavy menstrual bleeding is just one way you can empower young people to ask for help when they need it.

Free resources on heavy periods

Download our lesson handouts and posters on heavy periods and help raise awareness among the young people you work with.

Access the free resources