Teens Say They Learn More in School About Frogs’ Bodies Than Their Own

Sriya Srinivasan stopped menstruating for nearly three years and had no idea why. She went online for answers, and the search results frightened her so much that she stayed silent about the problem instead of asking relatives or teachers for help.

“I was searching on the internet for, ‘Where’s my period?’ What is going on?’” said the 16-year-old from Solano County, California. “It told me that I was dying in different ways, whether that was ovarian cancer or I had a tumor. I didn’t want anyone else to be as scared as I was during that time, so that’s why I hid it.”

Finally, a doctor’s visit for an unrelated issue revealed the culprit, a medical condition that she’d like to keep private. But Srinivasan has been public about how little she knew about the menstrual cycle before hers came to a halt. Now through the state’s citizen-led legislative process, she’s championing legislation that would mandate that California’s public middle and high schools expand the definition of comprehensive sexual health education to include menstrual health.

With such a shift, Assembly Bill 2229 would close what its bipartisan backers call a “curriculum gap.” Current sex ed instruction focuses on pregnancy, contraception, and sexually-transmitted infections but not explicitly on menstrual health. The legislation also acknowledges the importance of teaching students about a wide range of topics related to the menstrual cycle such as premenstrual syndrome, menstrual disorders, menstrual stigma and menopause. Advocates would like the bill, which to date has passed the California State Assembly and is moving through the Senate, to have a ripple effect across the country. Virginia and Washington, D.C., have already passed similar legislation.

“I think it’s really important to reduce shame and help people understand their bodies,” said Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, a Democrat and the bill’s primary sponsor. “Everybody should be learning about this, so I hope that nationwide, this is a thing. I hope that this is something that our federal partners get on board with.”

Last fall, Srinivasan started a Change.org petition about including menstrual health education in California public schools. She also submitted the idea to the “There Oughta Be A Law” contest by which California legislators accept policy proposals from their constituents. Training with the nonprofit Advocates for Youth — which fights for sexual health, rights and justice — helped her view herself as a youth advocate capable of creating change, she said. Srinivasan has appreciated her experiences leading the Solano Reproductive Health Club at Solano Community College, where she participates in a dual enrollment program as a high school student. The club was involved in the launch of the Know Your Period Campaign, along with students across California, to advocate for AB 2229.

When Wilson received Srinivasan’s “There Oughta Be A Law” proposal, she was struck by the teenager’s ordeal. Her submission beat out ideas from over 300 other constituents.

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“She actually didn’t realize that she was severely ill and that she needed medical care,” Wilson said. “She eventually got medical care, but then when she was talking with her friends about it, all of them were talking about how they didn’t know about menstruation and they hadn’t learned about it in school. So when she presented the bill to us, it was just really impactful.”

Research indicates that teenagers throughout the United States would welcome changes to menstruation education. “State of the Period 2023” — a study commissioned by the period underwear company Thinx Inc. and the advocacy organization PERIOD: the Menstrual Movement — found that 78% of teens agree that menstrual health education should be a part of a school’s core curriculum. Yet 78% of teens also say they learn more about the inner workings of frogs than of women’s bodies. Seventy-six percent of teens say they would appreciate frank communication about their menstrual cycles but feel that periods are a verboten topic at school. The study found that Hispanic and lower-income students were most likely to say that they have experienced stress related to managing menstruation at school and that society teaches people to be ashamed of having a period. Public relations firm SKDK surveyed 1,020 teenagers between the ages of 13 and19 and 1,050 adults between the ages of 20 and 50 online September 5-10, 2023.