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What Menstrual Products Do Autistic Youth Prefer?

A photo of a mom and daughter shopping

Marina Sarris

Date Revised: October 16, 2024

Autistic children and teens who have periods preferred reusable period underwear, followed by disposable and reusable pads, over tampons and menstrual cups, according to a new study.1

The study of 99 autistic youth and their parents is one of the first to explore the menstrual product preferences of autistic youth. Most of the participants joined through the SPARK autism study’s Research Match, which matches people to studies that interest them.

The researchers also found that the youth’s sensory sensitivities – a core trait of autism – influenced the menstrual products that their parents chose for them.

For the study, the researchers supplied the youth with five types of menstrual products to try over the course of several months. They then asked the youth which ones they liked best.

The youth said they preferred using1:

  • period underwear (34 percent)
  • disposable pads (29 percent)
  • reusable pads (25 percent)
  • tampons (9 percent)
  • menstrual cups (3 percent)

Period underwear and reusable pads both absorb menstrual flow and can be washed and worn again.

The youth, who ranged in age from 10 to 17, preferred products that were worn outside the body (period underwear and pads) to ones that are inserted in the body (tampons and cups).1 Similarly, a majority of 18- to 19-year-olds in the general population use pads.2

Only 17 percent of the autistic youth in the new study tried all five products.1 The main reason they gave for not trying a product – primarily tampons and cups – was a fear that the product would become “stuck” in their bodies. “There are a lot of period myths out there,” says the lead researcher, Keely M. Lundy, Ph.D. “There needs to be more education efforts or maybe overt customer support from companies that make menstrual cups and tampons on this concern.”

Preparing Autistic Youth for Their First Period

Lundy decided to research menstruation in autistic youth after parents asked her how to prepare their children for it. She looked at research studies for answers but did not find much.

She and her research team recruited 99 parent-child pairs who both had experienced periods. One percent of the parents, and 14 percent of the children, identified as non-binary, with the rest identifying as women and girls. More than half of the autistic youth also had ADHD or generalized anxiety disorder. Four percent of the youth had intellectual disability. The youth managed their periods by themselves or with minimal reminders and help.1

Beside period products, Lundy’s team also gave the youth “The Autism-Friendly Guide to Periods”by autistic author Robyn Steward.

Other studies have looked at adults, but Lundy wanted to examine the preferences of youth, who are new to managing periods. Would finding the right product help them manage their periods more easily?

She also wondered if parents tended to buy them the menstrual products that they preferred using themselves.

But that is not what she found. “The majority of caregivers are looking for products specifically for their child,” Lundy says. Parents judged the following product features as most important for their children: sensory impact (24 percent), whether it is placed inside or outside the body (18 percent), and how often it must be replaced (15 percent). Eleven percent considered the number of steps to use the product as the most important.1

“When we look at older autistic adults, they are saying that their periods are fraught with greater sensory sensitivities, and that’s one of the things that’s debilitating, along with mood and behavioral changes,” Lundy says. “I was happy to learn that caregivers are considering their children’s sensory issues when they buy period products for them.”

A different study compared the experience of menstruation in both autistic and non-autistic people who ranged in age from 16 to older than 60. That research found that the autistic people reported “sometimes distressing” challenges related to autism. These included “sensory differences and difficulties with regulating emotion and behavior, which have a significant, negative impact on their lives.”3

Interested in joining SPARK? Here’s what you should know.

Photo credit: iStock

References

  1. Lundy K.M. et al. Autism Epub ahead of print (2024) PubMed
  2. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Accessed Oct. 2, 2024.
  3. Steward R. et al. J. Autism Dev. Disord. 48, 4287-4292 (2018) PubMed