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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.

Save the Date!

We are excited to announce that the 2017 SMCR Conference will be held on Friday and Saturday, June 23-24, 2017 at Kennesaw State University, just outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

The theme for this year’s conference is “Menstruation Matters:  40 Years of Menstrual Cycle Research.”

A pre-conference session for Thursday, June 22, 2017 is also being planned.  The focus on this pre-conference session will be “The Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign:  What Health Care Professionals Need to Know about Menstrual Health.”  Although the target audience for this pre-conference session will be professionals working in various aspects of women’s health, it will also be open to SMCR members wanting to attend.

For more information about the 2017 SMCR conference or to volunteer to help, please contact Evelina Sterling at esterlin@kennesaw.edu.

Click here to volunteer

 

 

Call for Papers: Menstrual Health – A Matter Of Human Rights

This special issue of Women’s Reproductive Health will highlight feminist scholarship that uses a human rights frame to address menstrual health. This special issue aims to spark scholars of the menstrual cycle to consider and develop the human rights implications of their work. Equally, we hope to encourage those working in related human rights arenas to make this critical yet still marginalized issue factor more explicitly in their work.

Download the complete CFP [pdf].

2015 Conference Report

The 2015 Menstrual Health and Reproductive Justice Conference, held June 4-6 in Boston, was the largest in SMCR history! More than 200 people from 26 countries participated in a memorable multidisciplinary, international array of panels, presentations, and events. A more detailed conference report is forthcoming in The Periodical, the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research Newsletter.

Those who missed the conference and would like to learn more about individual sessions can view the complete conference program here (with undying gratitude to Jax Gonzalez). We encourage you to contact individual scholars for more information about their work.

Selected highlights from the Poetry Open Mic and Raffle have been posted throughout the summer at SMCR’s blog, re:Cycling. Check it frequently, as Rob Lewis has begun editing video and sharing tidbits with us.

Thanks to our sponsors and conference organizers.

Boston 2015 Conference Co-Chairs

  • Chris Bobel, U Massachusetts, Boston, and SMCR President-elect (chris.bobel@umb.edu)
  • Amy Agigian, Suffolk University, Director of the Center for Women’s Health and Human Rights (aagigian@suffolk.edu)

Boston 2015 Program Committee

  • Co-chair, Jane Ussher, University of Western Sydney
  • Co-chair, Janette Perz, University of Western Sydney
  • Co-chair, Heather Dillaway, Wayne State University
  • Ingrid Johnston-Robledo, Castleton College, and SMCR President
  • Megan White Mukuria, ZanaAfrica
  • Annie Smith, ZanaAfrica
  • Marlene Gerber Fried, Hampshire College, Director of Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program
  • Toni Leonard, Past Executive Director of Black Women for Reproductive Justice

Boston Local Team

  • Clara Hendricks
  • Sheryl Mendlinger
  • Jax Gonzalez
  • Kelly Renn

 

Because menstruation is a human right.

Robin Danielson Act Introduced on Menstrual Hygiene Day

Communities around the world marked the first Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28, 2014, to break the silence and build awareness about the fundamental role that good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) plays in enabling women and girls to reach their full potential. Representative Carolyn Maloney of New York’s 12th District chose this as the ideal day to introduce an updated version of the Robin Danielson Bill, legislation to study the health effects of menstrual hygiene products. The Robin Danielson Act of 2014 would require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to research whether menstrual hygiene products that contain dioxin, synthetic fibers, and other chemical additives like chlorine and fragrances, pose health risks. SMCR is among many organizations endorsing this bill. We urge you to contact your representative and encourage them to support the Robin Danielson Act of 2014.

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 $60 for one year or $110 for two years, and we also offer a self-selecting sliding-scale rate starting at $25. Membership benefits include receiving the Society Newsletter, registration in the members-only Society Email Discussion List, discounted conference fee, and receipt of our journal Women’s Reproductive Health (publication begins in early 2014). Everything about how to join the Society is available here.

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