Phrases like “cycle syncing” and “going luteal” have slipped into everyday conversation for many young women, marking a significant shift in how periods, hormones, and fertility are discussed. A growing number of Gen Z women say they now understand their bodies far better than their mothers or grandmothers did at their age. But while campaigners welcome this surge in awareness, questions linger about the spread of misinformation and the rise of health anxiety.
From managing symptoms of conditions like polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) to tracking fertility, the conversation around menstrual health is changing rapidly. We spoke to women, parents, and experts to explore this generational shift and what it means for the future.
The generational knowledge gap
Iqra Wasim, from Fishponds in Bristol, has struggled with PMOS symptoms such as painful acne since she was 11. PMOS affects about one in eight women and is a leading cause of female infertility. Symptoms can include irregular periods, excessive hair growth, and weight gain.
Wasim learned more about the condition by asking doctors questions and scrolling through social media. Now, she finds herself educating her mum, who also has PMOS, on how to manage symptoms.
“My mum was going through heavy bleeding with her PMOS and didn’t know what birth control was,” Wasim explained. “I told her about it and she thought I was talking about being sexually active, but I explained there’s so much more to the medicine – that showed the main knowledge gap between us.”
She added: “My mum’s generation did have knowledge, but it only stayed between women, families, or doctors. Now someone can talk about their period and PMOS online and millions of women can relate to it. Our generation is more willing to ask whether something is normal.”
However, Wasim is quick to note that social media is not a substitute for professional medical advice. “I don’t think that social media is a replacement for a medical professional,” she said.
Breaking the silence
Caroline Herman founded ‘All Yours Period Box’ with her daughter, a Wiltshire-based initiative that donates boxes of period products to foodbanks. She believes there is still “a huge amount of work to be done” to improve menstrual health education.
“We have a generational gap in the country,” Herman said. “We have generations like mine where we weren’t taught anything to do with our periods and then there’s our parents – there was this layer of silence that we’ve had to fight our way through.”
Herman had to educate herself after suffering a stroke believed to have been caused by a hormonal imbalance. While she celebrates the increase in information available on social media, she warns it should “come with a caution.”
“Is it high-quality, unbiased? Is some of it getting caught up in influencer culture where it’s not medically backed? But I think the more we talk about menstrual health as a society can only be a good thing. We have to keep pace with our young people with what they’re learning,” she added.
Despite the progress, Herman says barriers remain when it comes to talking openly about menstrual health online. “Meta and other platforms are censoring out medically correct terms as being offensive,” she said. “It’s in the RSE curriculum – we should be using correct anatomical terms like vagina, vulva, clitoris.”
‘Kids are really open to talking’
Many women credit social media with introducing them to concepts like cycle syncing and the different phases of the menstrual cycle. Wellness influencer Beth Lauren from the Cotswolds, who is also a mum to two boys, says it’s important to start conversations with children when they are young to “avoid creating a taboo in the first place.”
“Kids are really open to [talking about] stuff. It’s not inherently scary until we make it scary,” she said. “Having boys, it’s really important they have menstruation education as well, and I will be trying to teach them as much about it as I would a daughter.”
Lauren admits she didn’t learn about the phases of the menstrual cycle until after having children. “My mum was quite open, but again, it wasn’t something that we discussed in depth. I don’t actually think it was something that she knew loads about, and I don’t think she would now either,” she said.
“I do know that the majority of my knowledge now as a 30-year-old woman has come from social media. [But] I can consume all of that content with nuance, and with a bit of self-responsibility,” she added.
From cycle syncing to body literacy
Maisie Hill, author of bestselling books Period Power and Perimenopause Power, says talking about periods is “less taboo than it used to be,” with many parents in their 30s and 40s sharing new information with their children.
“The conversation has opened up a lot; it’s not just about how to manage having a period, but understanding how your body works and how to support it,” she said.
Hill points out that while sex education has improved, it’s still not enough. “Some parents think that their 9-year-old is too young to be hearing about periods and fertility, without realising that some 9 year olds have already started their periods,” she noted.
“There’s been a tremendous increase in body literacy which is fantastic, but now we need to address how that knowledge can be applied to educational and workplace settings, as well as improving medical care and access to treatment.”
Hill also cautions against dismissing women’s concerns about their cycles as mere “anxiety.” She explains: “My fear is that ‘this information causes health anxiety’ becomes yet another way to dismiss our experiences of the cycle, as if we can’t handle knowledge about our own bodies. That dismissal has history behind it. The word hysteria is derived from the Greek word for uterus, and for centuries, women’s pain and emotions were pathologised as a fault of the uterus, treated in the form of a hysterectomy. Calling a woman’s concern about her own body ‘anxiety’ brings us close to that history.”
The role of education and research
Poppy Taylor, a PhD researcher at the University of Bristol, studies the menstrual experiences of 18-24-year-olds who were taught under the sex and relationships curriculum between 2000 and 2020. Her research found that up to one in five young people did not receive menstrual education in school until after they had started menstruating.
“Another issue is inclusivity,” Taylor said. “It’s important to tackle the culture of secrecy and making sure everyone has an awareness of what’s happening to their bodies and their peers and how best to support them.”
Taylor also notes that periods are now starting as young as eight, making early education even more critical. She credits the menopause movement with helping to create “a wider cultural shift in attitudes.”
“It’s helped to open the doors on conversations about other women’s issues – there’s also been an increase in research. I think it’s empowering – people having better understanding of their bodies. Having more knowledge helps people feel more prepared,” she added.
What this means for the future
The generational shift in menstrual health knowledge is undeniable. Gen Z women are more informed, more willing to ask questions, and more open about their bodies than any previous generation. But with this newfound access to information comes the responsibility to discern fact from fiction, and to ensure that education keeps pace with the digital age.
As more parents, educators, and healthcare professionals embrace open conversations about periods, the hope is that the next generation will never have to fight through the same layers of silence that their mothers and grandmothers did.
