Overview
Alignment with Be You Domains
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Mentally Healthy Communities
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Family Partnerships
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Learning Resilience
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Early Support
Alignment with Australian Curriculum
- Health and PE
- Humanities and Social Sciences
- Science
Target audience
- Primary school
- Secondary school
Target groups
- Small group
- Whole class
- Whole school
Aims
My Vital Cycles provides resources for a whole-school approach to holistic menstrual health education and care.
This includes accurate curriculum-mapped content about cycle science and cycle management; training school nurses, psychologists, chaplains and counsellors to provide clinical menstrual health care for female students irrespective of their grade level; parent engagement; community partnerships; self-advocacy; skills for mental and menstrual wellbeing of girls.
Program theory
My Vital Cycles aligns the best practices from Restorative Reproductive Medicine with a whole-school approach. It challenges the ways in which the cycle is taught and discussed in schools. Evidence from peer-reviewed research:
- Trial of My Vital Cycles®: Single Sex school (https://doi:10.3390/ijerph20115964)
- Trial of My Vital Cycles®: co-educational schools (https://doi.org/10.3390/youth4040111)
- Enablers and barriers to implementing My Vital Cycles® (https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-024-00782-5)
- Using the WHO’s Health Promoting School framework: School staff speak (https://doi:10.3389/feduc.2023.1239619)
- What’s going on in my body? Students speak (https://doi:10.1007/s13384-023-00632-w)
Topics
The program covers a range of menstrual health care topics such as reproduction, anatomy, hormones and healthy lifestyles.
From a mental health and wellbeing perspective, it covers topics including self-awareness, dismantling secrecy, shame and stigma, effective communication and help-seeking.
Cost
There is a sliding scale of licence and training fees depending on school size and the extent to which the program is implemented across the whole school.
Resources selected at time of licencing include 'The Mensurator', Teacher guidebook, Health carer guidebook, poster analogies and models. Student workbooks are ordered through the school's annual stationery list. All resources are available at no cost if funded through a research project.
Program structure
EDUCATION
Ten 50-minute lessons can be integrated across different years and curricula.
For example:
- 3 lessons map to Year 8 Science (Biology)
- 3 lessons map to Year 9 Health
- 4 lessons for rites of passage Some schools deliver all lessons in one term (Year 9 Health). Curriculum constraints for others mean they select only essential lessons.
HEALTHCARE
Healthcare applies across pubertal development and is offered to students with:
- existing conditions (for example, acne, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and/or migraines)
- mental health challenges (for example, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self-harm, and/or suicidal ideation).
Determining cycle exacerbation of symptoms guides management strategies.
Instructor
- Teacher
- Wellbeing leader
- Psychologist
- External facilitator
Instructor training
All school professionals work from consistent resources. Training is online and self-paced. Each 90-minute session consists of videos, demonstrations and quizzes.
For science teachers: Two online sessions for cycle talk and cycle science. This is for accurate curriculum-based content in the biology of human reproduction.
For health teachers and wellbeing leaders: Three online sessions for cycle talk, cycle science and cycle management. This is for addressing period pain, irregular cycles, heavy bleeding, iron deficiency, premenstrual symptoms and mood swings.
For nurses and psychologists: Five online sessions for cycle talk, cycle science, cycle management and clinical care.
For external facilitators: One online session for cycle talk. This is for raising awareness and addressing secrecy, shame and stigma.
Supporting resources or materials available with program
- Manual
- Online webinars
- Posters
- Workbook
- Other (please specify)
Other materials
All lessons are provided online. They consist of a lesson plan, videos, downloadable worksheets and detailed instructions for learning activities.
There are physical resources including: Guidebooks for teachers and healthcare professionals; 'The Mensurator,' a unique teaching and clinical tool depicting 12 different cycle experiences); posters; fact sheets; charts and demonstration models. Student booklets are ordered through the end-of-year booklists.
Ongoing support
To ensure internal consistency and up-to-date knowledge, teachers and school healthcare professionals refresh their skillsets every two years.
Ongoing support is provided by direct email. School staff soliciting personal advice are referred to healthcare practitioners in Restorative Reproductive Medicine.
Parent involvement
- Attend information sessions
- Attend program sessions with child
- Homework
- Written information provided to parents
Origin of program
Australia
CycleWise Pty Ltd
Program authors
Dr Felicity Roux
Ratings
Summary of evidence factors
This is a summary of the evaluation or research study characteristics that contribute to the program’s evidence rating.
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Positive impact on at least one outcome for children and/or young people?
The study reported positive outcomes. |
Yes |
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Link between program description and theory of change
Theory of change refers to whether there was a comprehensive description and illustration of how and why a desired change is expected to happen in a particular context. |
Comprehensive |
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Study design
Type of study design reported. |
Quasi-experimental |
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Independence
The degree to which the program authors were involved in the research. |
Semi |
Summary of implementation factors
This is a summary of the program’s characteristics that contribute to its implementation rating.
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Feedback sought from participants
Participants enjoyed the program and understood its benefits. |
Yes |
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Feedback sought from instructors
Instructors enjoyed the program and understood its benefits. |
Yes |
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Groups program is not suitable for
Groups the program wouldn't be suitable for or that required further research to determine suitability. |
Not assessed |
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Training provided during study
The model of training provided. |
Web based |
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Ongoing instructor support provided during study
Whether ongoing support is provided. |
Yes |
Context
This is a summary of the context in which the evidence for the program was established.
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Study Participants
Pre school, primary school (Foundation to Year 6), secondary school (Years 7 to 12). |
Secondary school |
|---|---|
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Country of Study/s
The location in which the evidence or research was conducted. |
Australia |
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Location of Study/s in Australia
The state (or states) the program was assessed in Australia. |
WA |
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Evaluation of program in culturally and linguistically diverse populations
Provider has included culturally and linguistically diverse people when assessing the program. |
No |
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Evaluation of program in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people
Provider has included Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples when assessing the program. |
No |
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Evaluation of program in low socioeconomic groups
Program has evaluated a diverse socio-economic population in their research. |
Yes |
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Developmental based adaptations to program design and delivery
Shorter sessions for younger students or activities are adjusted for age appropriateness. |
Yes |
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Evaluation of program in children and young people with disability and/or learning difference
Provider has included participants with a disability or learning difference when assessing the program. |
Yes |
Last updated: 4 June 2026