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We want to talk about all things periods and how they affect our daily lives as chemists at Oxford. We would love to here your views and opinions:
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Periodically, the podcast that covers all things periods and chemistry!
Each week, over this series of six episodes, we here at the University of Oxford will be taking a deep-dive into just how periods have affected us in tutorials, exams, labs and just generally studying at undergrad. We want to talk about how periods can sometimes just get in the bloody way!
Periodically is funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry Equality and Diversity fund.
Elba
Periodically, the podcast that covers all things periods in chemistry. How do the two overlap? Well, here at the University of Oxford, we've been looking into just that. How does having periods have an impact on studying an undergraduate chemistry degree? Over this series of six episodes, we'll be taking a deep dive into just how periods have affected us in tutorials, exams, labs, and just generally studying at undergrad. We want to talk about how periods can sometimes just get in the bloody way. We'd like to give a huge thanks to the RSC Equality and Diversity Fund for supporting this podcast. Your hosts today are...
Amy
Hi I'm Amy and I'm a fourth year.
Manami
Hi I'm Manami and I am a second year.
Elba
Hi I'm Elba and I'm a fourth year.
Charlie
And hi I'm Charlie and I'm a postgraduate student.
Amy
Periods are different for everyone and can cause a multitude of side effects which can have a significant effect on the daily lives of the people who have them. Understanding and creating an open conversation means we can decrease stigma and educate those who don't have periods with the hope that they will consider them in future decision making. Making sure there is representation at higher levels is one way this can be achieved.
Manami
Periods can be irregular, debilitating, cause severe depression and many other things and the inflexible nature of a chemistry degree can make this hard to deal with. We need to foster an attitude within the department that periods and all they encompass are understood and considered and therefore discussion is open and trusting. We find there is an expectation to just deal with our periods because they are common but we want people to understand that the pain that comes with them is a genuine struggle.
Charlie
Another issue is that people aren't exposed to seeing the effects of periods because we hide them, so other people might forget to consider periods when making policies. To get around this problem we feel that boards should contain people who have periods and maybe there could be training at higher levels to consider the effects of periods.
Elba
With the intense workload of an Oxford undergraduate chemistry degree, a couple of days off really leaves you behind with work and there's no time to rest. The short term means you can't really take a step back and many people are forced to consider suspension. If you miss two weeks of term, you're expected to rusticate. Over a year, a day off can really add up, so making an environment which considers the effects of periods could have a good impact on the education of those who suffer from them.
Manami
Stereotypes are something that people with periods deal with all the time. This can include attitude towards our emotions, so the idea that we can be cranky or over-emotional is something that is often related to our periods and something that annoys most people with kids, have you found that stereotyping is something that has affected your time studying at undergrad?
Elba
Often it can feel like you have to be constantly on guard to make sure that you're actually being taken seriously. It can feel like if you ever appear emotional about something that that will permanently be held against you and thrown in your face later on. It's so emotionally time-consuming to be worrying about how others will interpret your every move when in reality that is time much better spent on literally anything else.
Charlie
Yeah I completely agree with Elba. I feel like a lot of the times that I am angry at university I'm worried that if I express this anger I will be seen as emotional or as you know "oh you know she's just on her period" and that really annoys me because most of the time that I'm angry I'm not on my period and even if I was my feelings are still valid.
Amy
I also find that I get self-conscious about the clothes I prefer to wear or the food I prefer to eat while I'm on my period. Weight gain and loss during my cycle also affects my self-esteem and makes me worry that other people will judge me or comment on my body and I know I'm not alone in feeling like this. A study conducted by Plan International UK concluded that girls often note that they feel different when menstruating. Their confidence drops and they become self-conscious with mental health implications. Emphasis on the outer body, as opposed to the inner health of the body, was referenced by girls in one focus group in Northern Ireland who discussed feeling unattractive while menstruating, bloating, acne, not feeling like going out or wearing tight clothes, having low self-esteem and this influences their body image. This is something that was also reflected in the discussions within our group.
Manami
I can see that there are many emotional effects of having a period that can affect your life as an undergrad chemist. Are there any physical or any other concerns you have regarding your period?
Amy
I know that a lot of people suffer from cramps, nausea, dizziness, migraines or headaches, weight loss or gain, bloating, mental health issues, just to name a few things. Each experience is highly individual. These physical symptoms can affect or be affected by pre-existing medical conditions or disabilities. There are also serious medical conditions related to the menstrual cycle such as PCOS and endometriosis.
Elba
I think it also comes back to that feeling Charlie was mentioning earlier of sort of wanting to scream. My feelings are still valid and it applies to other more physical aspects of periods too. Sometimes if you complain about cramps or other period-related problems the reaction can be to trivialize it. People think that because half the population has or has had periods then it mustn't be a big deal but everyone's experience is unique and it doesn't take away from your reality.
Manami
What would you like people's reactions to be? Also are there certain things that can be avoided or done to make you feel better?
Charlie
I think I would just like people not to mention periods if I'm acting emotional because firstly periods are an individual's issue and it can be sensitive and also most of the time that people are commenting about periods tend to be people who haven't had periods and I think that's something that you can't really speak of unless it comes from experience. It’s not just something that needs to be mentioned I find. I think mentioning periods is this idea that you know we're emotional and that's why we're emotional is very outdated and quite a cheap way to try and get someone. Also if someone is acting more angry and emotional than normal then maybe the better response is to try and be empathetic and kind to try and understand what's going on with them instead of taking the mick.
Manami
So there clearly is still stereotyping and maybe addressing the source of the problem could be a good way to improve the culture around periods. Where do you think this behaviour starts and what do you think can be done about it?
Charlie
I think a lot of this behaviour starts in school probably primary school which is then perpetuated by the lovely world of puberty in secondary school. Even back then I remember being taunted by people if I had accidentally bled through or acted out they would yell the classic "Oh, she's on her period." And I think most of this stems from mainly male presenting people not understanding what it is that is happening to us and how scary it could be, especially for the first time, which is what we were dealing with in secondary school. From talking within the group, we found that boys and girls were split a lot of the time when they received sexual education at school, and that is for those privileged enough to receive it. Shout out to those Catholic schools that are still back in the 18th century and I think this is something that's really important. If we were to just teach sexual health as something to both male and female students that it isn't split and both can learn about the effects of the menstrual cycle and undergoing puberty as both male and females, then it will give us more of an understanding of how to be more empathetic to everyone. I think this is hopefully something that can be changed and maybe that, through this deeper understanding at a younger age and some of the stereotypes that perpetuate could be dispelled and this could hopefully make a more accepting culture towards periods, which everyone is more comfortable to talk about more freely. We've discussed how stereotypes and people's attitudes towards periods have affected our lives, but more in general, how do you think having periods affects the overall experience of studying an undergraduate degree, whether that be in regards to work or social life.
Manami
I think the overwhelming feeling of pressure here including time pressure can make it hard knowing that taking even half a day off because of your period can affect your whole week, term or even the year ahead depending on the size of the topic you're covering that week. This puts pressure on you to keep going even if you are not physically or mentally prepared to do so. As mentioned in the first episode which is the lab episode, labs are physically demanding, especially if you are feeling unwell. The strong smell of chemicals can also amplify the feeling of nausea which can make the day harder.
Elba
Just to put some numbers to what Manami was mentioning, I'd like to quickly talk about the insane suspension rates of the chemistry department here. 176 students entered their second-year exams in 2021, but only 156 entered their third-year exams the following year. This means that more than 10% of the year suspended, rusticated or dropped out in this time. For the second-year exam, 11 students withdrew during or shortly before the exams. I think this just serves to illustrate how extreme that sense of pressure really is for a lot of students here.
Amy
Even if you don't actually miss a lab or a tutorial, if you aren't feeling well because you're experiencing bad period symptoms, it can be really hard to pay attention and actually learn something from your tutorial lab. If you're in the labs you could even make a mistake that affects your safety or the safety of people around you. Staying organised is important for staying on top of your work at Oxford and for making time for social life but it can be hard to plan your term in advance as periods aren't always regular and even if they are you can experience different symptoms each time.
Elba
Because the terms are only 8 weeks, if you miss even a couple of days it can feel like you've missed so much and there's no time to catch up during the term. If you miss a tutorial or you're ill and you don't have time to do the work for it, you won't necessarily get a chance to cover those topics again at any point. Not only does that affect you academically, but just adds to the stress and anxiety you feel. I found that not wanting to miss things or fall behind has meant that I've often worked through issues and pain that maybe I shouldn't have and have avoided taking breaks or actually prioritising my own mental and physical health.
Manami
As the terms here are short, our vacations which we call VACs are a lot longer than some universities. However, we are set VAC work to complete during the VAC which is often content that we have not yet covered as well as revision from the term before for our collections which are start of term MOCs at the beginning of each term. This amplifies the pressure during a period as it has a massive knock-on effect on your whole year. This being said, the courses being changed, the review took place this year and although we are not sure about all of the changes that will be made we are very hopeful that some of the changes will benefit people with periods and make the general workload a little bit more manageable.
Charlie
I think it's clear from our discussion that periods are affecting all parts of the Oxford Chemistry Undergrad and the main thing that we talk about is this intense nature of the degree and how that pressure is added to by any kind of illness or mental health issues and periods are something that we have realised is something that also comes into this and it also puts that disadvantage for those who suffer with them. We have talked about all the good work in the department in other episodes such as free access to period products, having an equality and diversity leading committee, ensuring that representation in the exam board is increasing and the fact that people within the department are asking the question "how do periods affect us?" shows us that there is a really encouraging view to creating a better culture around periods. However if there was one thing you would like to see improved by the department what would it be?
Amy
One thing we think is really important which we have talked about in other episodes is having people in decision-making positions who have experienced periods. In an ideal world everyone would be equally as understanding, conscious and sympathetic to period-related issues, however the reality is that naturally if you don't have periods it's probably not the first thing you consider and you might not know which problems exist or how to solve them. We hope that having more people with knowledge of periods and the issues surrounding them in decision-making positions will create positive change for students and staff.
Elba
This is our final episode in this series discussing all things periods and chemistry. We hope that anyone with periods who has listened has felt at least part of their experience reflected and that perhaps you feel a little less alone. To everyone who has listened that hasn't experienced periods, we hope you have been able to learn something about the day-to-day experiences of the chemistry students with periods. The aim of this project was to increase awareness and open up this very important conversation, so please keep talking about this and help us work towards a more understanding, caring community. In terms of the chemistry department at Oxford, we are so happy that they are open to hearing our experiences and hopefully we will see some changes implemented for the better. Thank you so much for listening. We hope you enjoyed our discussion and hopefully it was relatable for those studying with periods. And for those listening that don't experience periods, we hope you can understand a bit more about the day-to-day issues they can cause. Please feel free to let us know your thoughts and opinions. You can find us on Twitter and Instagram @periodically_ox. Again, we would like to give a huge thanks to the RSC Equality and Diversity Fund for supporting this podcast.