The downtown Mesa County Public Library will host a free educational workshop on menstrual health on Saturday, January 27 from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. in the Library’s Monument Room. The event is aimed at teens aged 14-18 of all genders and their caregivers. It will include an opportunity to ask questions and get medically-accurate answers from experts in the field.
Many people may know the basics of the menstrual cycle, but not everyone knows what is a sign of a illness and what’s not. This holds true even for adults. This seminar will go beyond the basics of the menstrual cycle to tell teens how to recognize if a period is normal or not, where to get free period products and how to use them, and how to talk more openly about periods without embarrassment or shame.
The workshop will be led virtually by two period professionals who are medical students or physicians-in-training who are specifically trained menstrual health education for this program, which was developed by physician experts.
The workshop is for teens of any gender ages 14 and up, and their caregivers who already know what a period is, but may want to learn more.
The event is being put on by the Period Education Project (PEP), a 501(c)(3) organization. It is a project of the Boston University School of Public Health that is leading the movement to help young people access medically-accurate menstrual health education. PEP seeks to close knowledge gaps and reduce the stigma associated with menstrual health. The Period 
Education Project was founded by physicians who are committed to improving menstrual health equity and training future doctors to be well-prepared to address menstrual health issues.
If you can’t attend the seminar but still have questions about menstrual health, you can ask menstrual professionals questions free on PEP’s website, or browse through the questions other people have already asked, and the answers PEP has provided, at https://periodeducationproject.org/ask-a-period-pro/
PEP also has a YouTube channel with videos on subjects like how to use a tampon, how to use a menstrual cup, what it’s like to have a period.
I would imagine the religious right of our community will be out in full gear protesting this since anything to do with ” good” education they are against!
i AM SURPRISED! they didn’t consider those of us that started as early as eleven years or even ten! Don’t put limitations and leave these people out.
Sad that mothers aren’t smart enough to give a good introduction to this. They are shadowed , probably, by their own experiences with periods, and their mother’s time with it. I hope they bring up the benefits of the ‘menstrual hut’, and taking vitamin B 6 to help with cramps for another.
This is so important. I’ve spoken to grown women in their 30’s that still hold some mind boggling misconceptions about menstruation. I’m so proud of our Library for hosting events like these. Thanks for sharing this info!
I wish I had period education like this available to me when I was a teenager. I got nothing, zilch, nada, zip. Had to navigate the world of having a period in secret, like it was a shameful thing. Society sweeps this topic under the rug and never speaks about it. I am so happy and proud that PEP is offering this class in our town. I am also proud that our school district teaches students puberty education in 5th grade. Can you imagine growing up female and not knowing you have three anatomical holes? In fact, many girls do, as they think their urine comes out of their vagina, knowing nothing of their urethra. Thank goodness our students receive proactive puberty education. Now if our school district could get with the times and offer sex ed in high school, we’d see STDs and teen pregnancy rates drop. Thanks for writing about this Anne!