Can syncing with your menstrual cycle improve well-being at work?
Each year, Nesta, the innovation foundation, makes predictions about some of the things that might affect society in the following 12 months.
This project was funded and supported by Nesta’s Explorations Initiative. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Nesta.
In January 2020, our colleagues Wallis Grant and Caroline Back predicted that the rise of apps for tracking periods and menstrual cycles would change the way that women (and anyone who menstruates) can shape their health and their lives.
We decided to investigate whether tracking a menstrual cycle and understanding the strengths that different hormonal states bring could improve well-being and confidence at work. We ran an exploration and published a report to show what we found.
The exploration
We gathered a group of colleagues for a menstrual coaching session which involved learning about the regular hormonal dance that goes on inside the body of anyone who has a menstrual cycle. The phases were described as seasons — follicular phase was spring, ovulation was summer, luteal was autumn and a period was winter.
We asked our participants to track daily for five weeks — definitely shorter than we wanted or needed but we were constrained by tight deadlines. Our main question was:
What work felt in flow for you today and what didn’t?
We also asked our participants to note strong emotions or physical symptoms, and which day of their cycle they were on or how many days it had been since the start of their last period. What we found was that even among different age groups, job types and those who had different knowledge levels of their cycle, there were patterns.
What we found
In the world of Nesta’s lockdown work, Zoom meetings were more in flow for our participants during spring; writing tasks and organising were generally easier in autumn and winter; summer was the best time for collaborating and speaking or facilitating.
However, the biggest impact for our participants was having the language and encouragement to talk about their menstrual cycle and how it affects them.
One participant said:
I have made big shifts in my understanding and my acceptance of [my cycle]. I have a new vocab which I am very grateful for and has allowed me to talk to friends/colleagues about this project and their cycles.
Self-compassion and understanding enabled our participants to feel more empowered about their health:
I know that if I ever went to the doctor because I had an issue, I would definitely mention that ‘I think it happens during this period of my cycle’… I feel like the information has made me feel a bit more empowered about my own body.
There are many other conversations happening around the world about menstrual cycles and health and well-being and a lot more to learn.
We hope that the work we’ve begun will help our organisation become increasingly inclusive and adaptive for people who have periods.