Young women are becoming more familiar with terms such as “cycle syncing,” menstrual phases and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS, as social media makes conversations about periods and hormones more visible. Greater access to information is improving body literacy, but health specialists and campaigners warn that online advice can also be inaccurate or increase anxiety when it is not medically grounded.
PMOS, previously known as polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS, was renamed in 2026 to better reflect its wider hormonal and metabolic effects. The condition affects about one in eight women and can cause irregular periods, acne, excessive hair growth, weight changes and fertility problems.
For some younger women, social media has helped fill gaps left by earlier generations. Iqra Wasim, from Bristol, said she learned more about managing PMOS by questioning doctors and using social media, then passed some of that knowledge to her mother, who has the same condition.
Wasim said younger generations are more willing to question whether symptoms are normal, although she does not view social media as a replacement for medical professionals.
Menstrual Education Has Often Arrived Too Late
Research from the University of Bristol has found significant gaps in menstrual health education in English schools. Among 140 women aged 18 to 24 surveyed, 10% said they did not receive or could not remember receiving menstrual education, while up to one in five were taught only after their first period.
Nearly seven in 10 participants said they received no practical information about managing menstruation. None recalled being taught about menstrual health conditions, while only 3.2% remembered learning about symptoms that could indicate something was wrong.
Poppy Taylor, a PhD researcher at the University of Bristol, said earlier and more inclusive education could help young people understand what is happening to their bodies before menstruation begins. The World Health Organization similarly recommends menstrual health education for all adolescents and says menstruation should not be treated with secrecy or stigma.
Social Media Brings More Information, but Not Always Better Information
Campaigners say the expansion of menstrual health discussions online has helped challenge decades of silence. Caroline Herman, who co-founded All Yours Period Box with her daughter, said younger generations now have access to conversations that were often confined to families or doctors in the past.
She also warned that users need to consider whether information shared by influencers is medically supported or commercially motivated.
Author Maisie Hill, whose books include Period Power and Perimenopause Power, says discussion has shifted beyond simply managing periods toward understanding menstrual cycles and their effects. She argues that better body literacy could also influence education, workplaces and access to medical treatment.
Social media remains an important source of that information, particularly for people whose formal education was limited. The challenge is increasingly not whether young people can find information about menstrual health, but whether they can distinguish reliable medical guidance from unsupported claims.
Featured image credits: Magnific.com
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