Petition to teach menstrual wellbeing in Scottish schools

A young woman suffering from endometriosis, launched today a petition addressed to the Scottish Government to teach menstrual wellbeing in schools.

Endometriosis is a debilitating condition where tissue comparable to the lining of the womb grows in other places like the fallopian tubes and ovaries.

Shaunee Jamieson, a 23-year-old Aberdeen midwife, has been suffering from this condition since a young age but was only diagnosed a few years ago.

This petition was launched to raise awareness on this condition which affects 1 in 10 women in the UK with a total of 1.5 million women in the country, and which takes 7.5 years to be diagnosed, according to the organisation Endometriosis UK.

Jamieson is demanding the Scottish Government to “wake up and stop brushing conversations about menstrual health at school under the carpet” and to start teaching menstrual wellbeing in schools.

She said: “I’m campaigning for menstrual wellbeing to be taught in all schools across Scotland so that students can spot and understand symptoms of conditions like endometriosis or Heavy Menstrual Bleeding earlier, and not delay seeking help.

“I want everyone, regardless of gender, to understand what is and isn’t normal when it comes to the menstrual cycle.”

This petition comes a few days after the results of a BBC research on the devastating effect of endometriosis were published.

More than 13,500 women took part of this research which revealed that half of these women had suicidal thoughts, most of them saw their education, relationships and career affected by this condition and many relied on addictive painkillers.

Emma Cox, the CEO of Endometriosis UK said: “This shocking new research is a stark reminder that both society and the NHS need to wake up and accept that endometriosis is a chronic condition that cannot be brushed under the carpet.

“Endometriosis affects over 1.5 million women in the UK and the impact it can have on all aspects of a person’s life – both physically and mentally - must be recognised. Currently the diagnosis time for endometriosis is an unacceptable 7.5 years on average; this must come down.”

Dr Stuart Jack, a consultant gynaecologist for NHS Lothian said that the effect of endometriosis is widely variable “from those that are completely without symptoms or effect on their life to those that have severe pain, infertility and significant reduced quality of life.”

Several support groups have been created in Scotland, such as in Fife, where Endometriosis Fife was created in 2011 by Claire Watson who is the group leader.

She was diagnosed the same year “after 16 years and had never heard of endometriosis before then.”

She said: “Menstrual wellbeing should be taught in schools because it’s so important for young girls and boys to understand their bodies and what is ‘normal’.

“I didn’t know the pain I was having wasn’t normal, so for a young girl to understand her body is so important. Scotland is always forefront with medical advances, so this would be a great step forward for us.”

Earlier this year, the Scottish Government had provided a new funding of £15,000 to support Endometriosis UK in a project to train more volunteers, and to provide resources to help more women in Scotland.

Jeane Freeman, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport had said: “This project will deliver training so that more women in Scotland can benefit from peer support for endometriosis and we are backing this with £15,000. This investment highlights our commitment to ensuring everyone living with endometriosis in Scotland has access to the best possible care and support.”

However, menstrual wellbeing is still not part of Scottish schools’ curriculum, contrary to what organisations and Shaunee Jamieson have asked.

Following-up the BBC’s research results, MSP Monica Lennon tweeted: “We are pushing the Scottish Government to invest more in treatment and research and we back the Endometriosis UK campaign on menstrual wellbeing education for all.”

For the petitioner: “The exclusion of menstrual wellbeing in the school curriculum is only amplifying unnecessary embarrassment in talking about menstruation and female health issues.

“It cannot be the case that young girls like me have to miss school because we are embarrassed and do not understand what is happening to our body.”

On 16 November, a conference on scientific research for endometriosis, organised by Endometriosis UK, will take place in Edinburgh and will mainly focus on fertility, menstrual bleeding and pain management.