“Life is Much More Difficult to Manage During Periods”: Autistic Experiences of Menstruation

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Steward, R., Crane, L., Roy, E. M., Remington, A., & Pellicano, E. (2020). “Life is Much More Difficult to Manage During Periods”: Autistic Experiences of Menstruation. In The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies (pp. 751-761). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0614-7_55

Publication date: 1 Jan 2020 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Book chapter Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
5
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 5 (20.0%)
  1. Robyn Steward *
  2. Laura Crane
  3. Eilish Mairi Roy
  4. Anna Remington
  5. Elizabeth Pellicano

Abstract

Abstract Starting from the assumption that menarche and menstruation are overwhelmingly negative events for developmentally disabled women, Steward et al. conduct much-needed research focusing on the experiences of women with autism. This preliminary investigation is a brief online survey on post-menarcheal autistic (n=123) and non-autistic (n=114) respondents. Although autistic respondents report many overlapping issues and experiences with non-autistic respondents, they also highlight distinct—and sometimes distressing—issues relating to menstruation, especially a cyclical amplification of autistic-related challenges, including sensory differences and difficulties with regulating emotion and behavior, which have a significant, negative impact on their lives. These initial findings call for systematic research on the potential causes, correlates, and consequences of menstrual-related problems in autistic individuals—across the spectrum and the lifespan.

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These indicators describe the cited bibliography imported for this publication. Cited-reference metrics use the cited-reference total as denominator. Cited-author metrics state whether they use all cited-author occurrences or only occurrences linked to authors already integrated in the AutiHub database. They use cached links between cited authors and authors integrated in the AutiHub database. Last computed: 16 Aug 2026 11:31.

Cited references
20
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
1 / 20 (5.0%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
1 / 50 (2.0%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 1 / 11 (9.1%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 1 / 48 (2.1%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
11 / 50 (22.0%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 11 / 48 (22.9%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
10 / 11 (90.9%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 10 / 50 (20.0%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 10 / 11 (90.9%).
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