05/03/2026 12:00

Sala Descubre/Online Teams. Edificio 8E. Acceso J - 4ª Planta | Universitat Politècnica de València. 46022

Abstract

This research analyses menstrual health in Spain from a social and public health perspective, focusing on how education, stigma, and healthcare practices interact to shape menstrual experiences and health outcomes. Drawing on a nationwide mixed-methods survey of over 4,000 participants, the research explores menstrual literacy, stigma, and access to healthcare across age groups and social contexts.

The findings reveal persistently low menstrual literacy, the structural nature of menstrual stigma, and the reproduction of gender bias within healthcare, with significant inequalities linked to socioeconomic factors and type of healthcare provision. Together, these dynamics contribute to the normalisation of pain, delayed care-seeking, and unequal treatment. The results highlights the need to address menstrual health as an issue of public health and social equity, calling for comprehensive education and gender-sensitive healthcare as key levers for change.

Bio:

Sara Sánchez López is a postdoctoral researcher at INGENIO (CSIC-UPV).  Forest Engineer by training, with a specialisation in water and sanitation, her career combines environmental issues with social and gender analysis. She has experience in water, sanitation and hygiene cooperation projects, and her interests also include conservation, and environmental studies.

She currently researches women’s health across different reproductive stages, with a particular focus on menstrual health. Her doctoral thesis addressed several dimensions of this topic, including education, stigma, participation, and gender bias in access to healthcare. She also collaborates in projects that bring a gender perspective to areas such as sanitation innovation, technology design, and the gender gap in science.

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