Drawing on the experiences of King’s staff and students who have menstrual cycles, our research highlights practical ways universities can improve working and study conditions. We’re pleased to see King’s already acting on some of these recommendations and hope they will be useful for other institutions too.
Dr Rikke Amundsen and Dr Laura Gibson, Report Authors
05 May 2026
New report recommends universities embrace digital tools to enhance menstrual wellbeing
The project, based in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities, explored how greater awareness of the menstrual cycle and digital tools could help menstrual wellbeing.
The project, Menstrual Cycle Awareness and Embodied Technologies in Higher Education, led by Dr Rikke Amundsen, Lecturer in Digital Media and Culture, and Dr Laura Gibson, Senior Lecturer in Digital Content Management Education, involved King's staff and students and a partnership with the Real Period Project.
The recommendations included a campaign to increase knowledge of where students and staff can access support, menstrual cycle awareness training, mitigating circumstances adjustments and the potential for educational establishments to create their own menstrual tracking apps.
The project was supported by The Faculty of Arts & Humanities Research & Scholarship Funding Scheme, The Centre for Technology and the Body and the AHRC Impact Acceleration Account.
It’s great to see our AHRC Impact Acceleration Account being used to benefit not only our own staff and students but the Higher Education sector as a whole. King’s is already working on some of the recommendations and welcomes Amundsen and Gibson’s research in this area. It’s another demonstration of how humanities research helps tackle problems that affect our daily lives.
Dr Elizabeth Scott-Baumann, Pro-Vice Dean (Research Impact & Knowledge Exchange)
The report also highlighted the potential for period tracking apps to be developed by Higher Education institutions. The report found there is often concern from users of these technologies about the security of their personal data, and the cost of using them being a barrier to educational information.
So it’s kind of like between a rock and a hard place of needing to use something [to track the menstrual cycle], but not trusting any of those that are available. And they’re all constantly just pop ups, ‘Buy this, pay for this’. And it’s really irritating.
Participant 7, Student Pilot in Person Focus Group
King’s has already taken on some of the recommendations in the report, including adding ‘Significant complications associated with menstruation’ to the Mitigating Circumstances Policy, effective from August 2026.
You can read the full report Menstrual Cycle Awareness and Embodied Technologies in Higher Education here.
Menstruation and reproductive health guidance - King's Student Services Online
Menstruation and reproductive health are essential aspects of overall wellbeing, yet they are often surrounded by stigma, misinformation, and barriers to access. The guidance below aims to provide students with clear, accurate, and supportive information to help you manage your menstrual and reproductive health with confidence.
In this story
Lecturer in Digital Media and Culture
Senior Lecturer in Digital Content Management Education