Conference on menstruation and mental health link

The event is being held at the University of Exeter

Devon is hosting the world’s first conference around how menstruation and menopause link with mental health, academics say.

The event, being held at the University of Exeter on Thursday and Friday, is expected to be attended by more than 150 people.

Professor Gemma Sharp, from the university's School of Psychology, said the conference was a good move for women's health.

She said find the aim of the conference was to find new solutions which meant menstruation and menopause "no longer adversely affect mental health and social wellbeing".

'Lack of research'

The professor set up the global 4M consortium three years ago, to bring together different disciplines to explore menarche (the first menstrual cycle), menstruation, menopause and mental health.

The group, which now has more than 400 members globally, aims to work together to find new answers in an area of research which academics say is underfunded and is still poorly understood.

The university said the event would bring together experts from across the world from a broad range of academic disciplines, and representatives from menstrual or women’s health advocacy groups, charities and healthcare providers.

Prof Sharp said: “We know there’s still a lack of research around menstruation, menopause and how they impact mental health.

"These issues can have major impacts throughout people’s lives.

"The world is beginning to wake up to the need for better research."