“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. (2018). “Life is Much More Difficult to Manage During Periods”: Autistic Experiences of Menstruation. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(12), 4287-4292. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3664-0

Publication date: 7 Jul 2018 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Article 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

Although menarche and menstruation are perceived to be overwhelmingly negative events for developmentally-disabled women, women's health issues remain under-researched in autism. Here, we conducted a preliminary investigation of the experiences of post-menarcheal autistic (n = 123) and non-autistic (n = 114) respondents to a brief online survey. Although autistic respondents reported many overlapping issues and experiences with non-autistic respondents, they also highlighted 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 had 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.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Bibliography inclusion overview

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
23
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
2 / 23 (8.7%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
2 / 54 (3.7%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 2 / 12 (16.7%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 2 / 52 (3.8%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
12 / 54 (22.2%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 12 / 52 (23.1%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
10 / 12 (83.3%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 10 / 54 (18.5%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 10 / 12 (83.3%).
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