Welcome to the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research
The Society for Menstrual Cycle Research is a nonprofit, interdisciplinary research organization. Our membership includes researchers in the social and health sciences, humanities scholars, health care providers, policy makers, health activists, artists and students with interests in the role of the menstrual cycle in women’s health and well-being.
We strive to be the source of guidance, expertise, and ethical considerations for researchers, practitioners, policy makers and funding resources interested in the menstrual cycle. The Society holds biennial meetings featuring presentations of the latest research by members. Make plans now to attend our 2013 meeting in New York, June 6-8.
Making Menstruation Matter
Society for Menstrual Cycle Research 20th Biennial Conference
Planning is underway for our 20th biennial meeting in New York, to be held June 6-8, 2013 at Marymount Manhattan College, NYC.Headed up by Ingrid Johnston-Robledo, our Conference team consists of David Linton, Christina Bobel, Peggy Stubbs, Nancy Reame and Alexandra Jacoby.
photograph of Gloria Steinem used with permission
At the conference, we will bestow the first “Making Menstruation Matter” award to Gloria Steinem, author of the classic piece, “If Men Could Menstruate.”
Keynote delivered by psychologist Jane Ussher, author of The Madness of Women: Myth and Experience (Routledge, 2011) & Managing the Monstrous Feminine: Regulating the Reproductive Body (Routledge, 2006).
Attendees and presenters are physicians, nurses, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, women’s and gender studies scholars, communications studies scholars, artists, literary and cultural critics, health educators, and menstrual activists….as well as spoken word artists and poets participating in The World’s 1st Ever Menstrual Poetry Slam on Friday night!
The program for our upcoming meeting in June is finalized, and we were delighted with the number of high quality submissions we received.
In addition to the conference highlights, there will be many poster and paper presentations that engage a wide range of topics relevant to our theme of “Making Menstruation Matter: Translating Our Knowledge into Action.”
Specifically, presenters will consider menstruation and menstrual events across the lifespan, within relationships, and in the context of other domains of women’s embodiment (e.g., sexuality, reproductive health, body experience). Many sessions address menstrual politics and activism as well as representations of menstruation in literature, digital communications, advertising, and social media.
Join the conversation at this uniquely multidisciplinary and global event!
Conference highlights and registration information available here.
Have you visited re:Cycling (SMCR’s blog) lately?
Members of the SMCR leadership team started the blog nearly three years ago, partly for fun and partly to increase the visibility of the Society for Menstrual Research and our work. At re:Cycling, we write about anything related to the menstrual cycle and women’s health, from hokey tampon ads and literary references to menstruation to the latest news on birth control pills to how to cope with hot flashes/flushes to menstrual humor and more. We’ve been favorably mentioned at Women’s eNews, Sweetening the Pill, the now-defunct (sadly) Broadsheet, Feministing, and a few other places, too. Our favorite review came from Zara Rabinowicz at BitchBuzz:
What I really like about the site is that it addresses all those things you’re slightly to embarrassed to ask, and with sass and snarkiness that makes you wonder what was so bad about the questions. . . . re:Cycling aims to make you feel proud and confident about your cycle–and not bat an eyelid when discussing discharge.
It’s important you stay informed about your body and what relates to it, and it’s about time there was a site that kept you informed. The entertainment value is just a welcome bonus.
Check it out! We welcome your feedback.
Notes from 2011 Meeting
The 19th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research was recently concluded in Pittsburgh, PA, June 2-4, 2011. The conference theme, Embodied Consciousness, Informed Choices: Critical Perspectives on the Menstrual Cycle drew provocative presentations from continuing SMCR members as well as a record number of international researchers. Highlights included a keynote address by Dr. Sharra Vostral, Associate Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies and History at the University of Illinois, and author of Under Wraps: A History of Menstrual Hygiene Technology (2008), who focused on the innovation of Rely tampons and the emergence of Toxic Shock Syndrome. In addition, two plenary panels were presented: 1) stigma associated with menstruation, broadly considered, and 2) sustainable menstrual management in both developing and developed countries Two additional plenary presentations included talks by Alexandra Jacoby who described her 10 year project, vagina vérité® and Dacia Charlesworth, Associate Professor of Communication at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, who offered an analysis of Tampax’s Zack 16 marketing campaign. A detailed report of the conference is forthcoming in the fall edition of the Society’s newsletter.
Video of 2011 Conference @ Chatham University
In 2011, meetings of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research were available on live video feed. Those videos have been archived, and are now available for viewing on this site.
Membership in the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research is open to individuals who have an interest in research on the menstrual cycle or related issues, and who support the purposes of the Society. Dues are $50/year, or $90 for two years, and we offer a self-selecting sliding-scale rate, and retiree rates. Membership benefits include receiving the Society Newsletter, registration in the members-only Society Email Discussion List, and discounted conference fee. Everything about how to join the Society is available here.