Summer Update: 2025
If you would like an easy-to-read version (with pictures), click the button below:
Hello everyone!
What we’ve been up to:
The research itself:
At the beginning of this year we officially closed recruitment. We had over 1000 applications to select our final 100 interviewees from. We couldn’t say yes to everyone, unfortunately. When choosing, we made sure to include members of our community who often don’t get included in research. Thanks again to everyone who expressed an interest in our study.
Presentations:
Aimee recorded a video for an Autism conference (INSAR 2025) entitled “It’s OK to have brain fails: the views of Autistic adults, including those with high support needs, on co-governing the Autism from Menstruation to Menopause study” - You can watch this here.
We’ve published:
A paper on the experiences of menstruation for Autistic people. Find a free version to read here.
· You can also find a summary of this paper here.
· There’s also a quick summary video about it on our Youtube channel. Here’s a link.
A survey of Autistic people’s experiences of maternity – find it here.
· You can also read a summary of this piece here.
A chapter in “The Double Empathy Reader: Exploring Theory, Neurodivergent Lived Experience and Implications for Practice” - on the double empathy problem in Healthcare settings.
· You can read it for free here.
And these short articles for The Conversation:
· Autistic people’s experiences of maternity care. Read here.
· Why everyone isn’t ‘a little bit Autistic’. Read here.
· Autistic stimming explained – and why stopping it can lead to burnout. Read here.
· Misokinesia: when repetitive movements are infuriating to some people. Read here.
· Why many Autistic people don’t like the ‘puzzle piece’ Autism symbol. Read here.
Social Media:
Over the last year, we’ve been posting on Fridays with Autism-friendly information about reproductive health and our research. You might want to check out our posts on:
Perimenopause and the menopause: what to look for
On Instagram, TikTok and both our private Facebook and public Facebook group.
Sexually transmitted Infections (part 1 of 2)
On Instagram, TikTok and both our private Facebook and public Facebook group.
Emergency Contraception
On Instagram, TikTok and both our private Facebook and public Facebook group.
We also have our:
Website: www.autismmenstruationtomenopause.com
And Youtube channel: @AutismMenstruationToMenopause
Coming up:
· We hope to soon publish results of our review of Autistic experiences of the menopause – we will be holding an online event to share these.
· We’ll interview the same participants again and start looking at some of the data we’ve already collected.
· We will finish our review of Autistic experiences of puberty.
· You’ll be able to hear more about the study on the Wellcome Trust podcast “When Science finds a way” (we don’t know the date yet).
· Becky and Harriet will be presenting in Dublin at the 14th Autism Europe Congress in September.
· Aimee will be presenting at the Maternity and Midwifery festival in Cardiff on 23rd September (free to attend).
· Aimee’s book, The Autism Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Birth and the Fourth Trimester will be published in the autumn. It’s available for pre-order from Amazon, WHSmiths and Waterstones.
We’ll be sharing it all on our social media :)
Best wishes,
Aimee, Becky, Harriet, Krysia, Ami and the whole Autism Menstruation to Menopause team
Five doodles of polaroid-like photos of our research team.