Join us at the 1st Menarche, Menstruation, Menopause, and Mental Health (4M) Conference at the University of Exeter, United Kingdom, 20-21 June 2024. For its inaugural conference, the overarching theme is Menstrual and Mental Health in Society. Our CDHI Core Director on Digital Female Health Dr. Marcia Nißen, together with Davinny Sou as leading author with present the following work:

Sou, D., Budig, T., Kowatsch, T., Kuhlmeier, F., von Wangenheim, F., Nißen, M.K. (2024) The Impact of Menstrual and Mental Health on Patients’ Interactions with a Healthcare Chatbot, Menarche Menstruation Menopause and Mental Health (4M) Conference 2024, 20-21 June, University of Exeter, UK, Abstract & Poster, PDF

The conference themes will include:

1. bidirectional relationships between socioeconomic position and menstrual health and wellbeing
2. the role of education in improving menstrual health awareness and reducing negative impacts on mental health in schools
3. menstruating or undergoing menopause in the workplace
4. menstruation in humanitarian crises
5. digital health and femtech
6. the gender data/health gap
7. the impact of menstrual health on social wellbeing
8. and much more

The conference is reflective of the 4M mission to foster collaborative interdisciplinary work within the 4Ms. This means we will be showcasing work beyond academic research and will be joined by a variety of non-academic stakeholders, including representatives from: Clue, Bloody Good Period, Wellbeing of Women, drip, Irise International, The Lowdown, Period Positive, Office for National Statistics, South West International Development Network, Emm.

Moreover, the conference will also offer a keynote by Professor Hilary Critchley, a Professor of Reproductive Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. She has made significant contributions to our understanding of menstrual health. Her research focuses on local mechanisms within the womb-lining (endometrium) involved in menstruation and abnormal uterine bleeding. In particular, she has conducted research on the local endometrial response to the withdrawal of progesterone and the process involved in blood vessel growth and repair in the endometrium, which occurs during each menstrual cycle.

Another keynote will be given by Martha Hickey, a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Melbourne. Her clinical and research interests are in menopause, particularly menopause after cancer. After delivering a very well-received 4M Seminar on Menopause, we are excited to be joined again by Professor Martha Hickey. She led the first Core Outcome Set for menopause (COMMA) and now leads an international Priority Setting Partnership in menopause (MAPS). She is the NICE guidelines topic expert on menopause. She is strongly committed to evidence-based medicine and is an Editor for the Cochrane Collaboration. She is also an advocate for normalizing menopause and developing a new approach to menopause that focuses on supporting and empowering women to transition through this normal life stage effectively.

The final keynote speaker is Dr Mandikudza Tembo, a public health specialist and public engagement expert in menstrual and women’s health. She is the founder of The Bleed Read, an online platform amplifying the voices of menstruators. Dr Mandikudza Tembo is a public health specialist working on research focusing on menstrual health and adolescent sexual and reproductive health service delivery. She is a Reckitt Global Health Institute post-doctoral fellow leading an innovative project focusing on menstruation across the life course and co-creating a menstrual health toolkit with women, healthcare providers, and other relevant stakeholders in rural and urban communities across Zimbabwe. She is also an expert in public engagement in women’s health and is currently the Public Engagement Lead and Social Scientist at The Health Research Unit Zimbabwe (THRU ZIM). Dr Tembo is also the founder of The Bleed Read. This dynamic and comprehensive website covers all things related to menstruation on a mission to amplify the voices of menstruators everywhere and improve the menstrual experiences of menstruators worldwide.

Please join Marcia, Davinny and all the other conference attendees during the upcoming two days in June!