We need to talk about periods when planning routine fieldwork trips, say ecologist Sarah E

Breaking the menstruation taboo to make fieldwork more inclusive Dalrymple and glaciologist Timothy P. Lane

We need to talk about periods when planning routine fieldwork trips, say ecologist Sarah E

In a teaching laboratory, a student tells you and your male colleague that they can’t attend a field trip the following day. Your colleague ignores the student and walks away. What did the student say to trigger such an unprofessional response? They were informing you that their period would coincide with the trip and the lack of toilets meant that they wouldn’t be able to attend. This happened to S.E.D., and although at the time she didn’t challenge it, the incident was key to helping both of us wake up to the taboo around menstruation and the problems it causes for fieldwork participation.

Fortunately, in many countries, there are now fewer workplace taboos than there were, say, a generation ago. However, Nature’s reporting of bereavement and menopause policies, as well as attitudes around sizeism, suggests there is still some work to do in these areas. To these we add a fourth: menstruation, particularly in fieldwork settings.

Almost half of the global population menstruates at some stage of life, and there is growing evidence that menstruation contributes to student absenteeism and the bias in which more men than women tend to work in challenging field conditions. If we can’t do a few simple things to break down the menstruation taboo, we’re failing to make science truly inclusive.

As a cisgender male glaciologist and cis female ecologist, we undertook extensive and demanding fieldwork in pursuit of our PhDs and subsequent research in environmental science, unburdened by having to think very much, if at all, about periods (S.E.D. had unproblematic periods before becoming a mother). However, we know that our experience is not universal, and that challenging menstrual cycles can make it difficult for some people to participate in fieldwork.

Our combined fieldwork activities include research and teaching in locations ranging from the Arctic to equatorial systems, often with no access to toilets and washing facilities, sometimes for days or weeks at a time. We regularly lead large groups of students on trips involving long days in the field with shared accommodation and bathrooms. Some students confide in us when fieldwork coincides with their period, or if they are affected by serious reproductive-health problems such as menorrhagia, a heavy and prolonged bleeding, or endometriosis, a cyclical, painful inflammation of the uterus lining and sometimes other parts of the body. We deal with these on a case-by-case basis, but have seen colleagues struggle with how to respond. Some are uncertain as to what to do; some pass the question to other co-workers, often women; and some respond insensitively.

What’s it like to get your period during fieldwork?

As an ecologist of high-latitude systems, S.E.D. has regularly had to manage a period while in remote places, which has often involved changing period products on a mountain while hiding behind rocks that provided only a partial screen from view. Water retention and bloating made the hip belt of her rucksack painful, making it difficult to carry heavy field kit. Many hours of detailed vegetation surveys with back and stomach cramps made an already physically demanding activity even more challenging and slower than normal.

Because of some unconscious pressure to avoid talking about periods, and the personal need to be seen as equal to male colleagues, she dealt with all of this in secret. This taboo makes it harder for women to participate in field-based sciences. S.E.D. has now decided that it’s time to stop needlessly hiding her period and to be more open about how her students could be supported when menses coincide with fieldwork.

Our responsibility to students and colleagues

There is a huge amount of public-health research that highlights the problems that surround periods in university settings. Menstruation as a potential barrier to fieldwork participation has started to be addressed in academic conference agendas, in research literature and on social media. But these often focus on extreme fieldwork in polar regions or other challenging conditions. It is excellent that these situations are being noticed, but we also need to address how periods prevent engagement in fieldwork in less-arduous settings, which are relevant to a much larger number of people.

Here are six simple ways to address the stigma around periods in fieldwork settings, regardless of how extreme or long the trip. We are committing to these steps as teachers and researchers, and we hope that the ability to confidently discuss menstruation and support those experiencing their period will make field-based professions more inclusive at every career stage.

Talk openly about menstruation

This doesn’t need to make anyone feel awkward, but specifically mentioning carrying menstrual-health products in pre-trip briefings is an easy way to talk openly about periods in front of a class or research team. Groups might also want to discuss the division of tasks to allow people undergoing their period to contribute while feeling supported if they don’t feel their best.

Carry menstrual-health products in group equipment

A range of pads, tampons and products to enable handwashing should be included in the standard equipment issued for fieldwork.

Identify opportunities for using toilets and washing facilities before the fieldwork commences

Build toilet stops into the schedule, following existing guidelines¹. Consider arranging extra stops if possible, and provide opportunities to request more stops as far as logistics allow. Also consider identifying a privacy protocol so that people can excuse themselves discreetly and find a safe but secluded area to change menstrual products.

Consider identifying an individual to whom students and team members can talk

Breaking the taboo won’t happen overnight — we can’t force people to talk about periods — but a first step might be to identify someone on the trip who can be a point of contact and discreetly help people to manage their period.

For longer-term, more-remote trips, consider discussing menstrual products and menstruation alternatives with team members.

There are a number of options available for managing periods that many researchers use on longer, remote trips — for example, menstrual cups, period underwear and hormonally suppressing menstruation altogether using oral contraceptive pills. Although these are very personal choices and have cost or health implications that might make them inaccessible to some, they might be better alternatives while in the field, reducing the number of changes necessary, as well as the amount of waste that has to be packed out of field sites.

Educate yourself and support others if you don’t menstruate

During T.P.L.’s experience of planning or undertaking fieldwork, he’s found that there is still hesitancy or reticence to discuss periods, particularly among men. He perceives this reluctance as stemming from a taboo, a lack of understanding or a desire to avoid crossing an imaginary line.

Over time, T.P.L.’s personal understanding of how to accommodate colleagues experiencing their periods during fieldwork has evolved. Initially ignorant of the effects that periods could have on a person’s physical ability, as well as the need for access to changing facilities during fieldwork, he has made a shift towards a more proactive stance. T.P.L. now strives to ensure that all fieldwork is well-planned, taking period provision into account, that this is communicated effectively to students and staff and that fieldwork plans remain flexible if necessary. The hope is that this will encourage others to be more open and will contribute to breaking down the associated taboo.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00044-5

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This story originally appeared on: Nature - Author:Sarah Dalrymple