Cramps, nausea, vomiting, chronic fatigue. Ymene Lahmar-Cherif, 22, a student at the University of Paris-Est-Créteil-Val-de-Marne (UPEC), experiences these symptoms every month during her period. That’s why she was relieved when the school’s Education and Academic Life Committee voted in July in favor of menstrual leave. “This is a real victory for us, the students, who went through very painful periods., – the young woman who suffers from endometriosis is enthusiastic. HE Menstrual leave allows menstruation to be a valid reason for absence. There is much less stress when studying. »
The University of Angers was a pioneer in establishing this system in September 2023, followed closely by that of Rouen. Since the start of the school year in September 2024, like UPEC, the universities of Bordeaux-Montaigne, Sorbonne-Paris-Nord and Clermont-Auvergne (at least eight universities out of 72) now offer menstrual leave to female students, after a vote in the Training and University Life Commission. In most cases, at the request of student associations, in particular through petitions.
Once voted, menstrual leave is applied with specific conditions for each university. In Angers, no medical certificate is necessary to enjoy the ten days of annual leave offered. “Angers is located in an area of medical desertsexplains Aude Stheneur, director of the Permanent Conference of Heads of Equality and Diversity Missions (CPED) for higher education and research. Finding a doctor’s appointment is almost impossible. »
“A battle we had to fight”
In Bordeaux-Montaigne, on the other hand, it is necessary to present a medical certificate proving the existence of painful periods. and benefiting from fifteen days of menstrual leave a year was a decision shared by the university associations, as well as by the university presidency, to allow, in particular, female students, “implement screening for other diseases such as endometriosis or polycystic syndrome”explains Marion Lafon, a student at this university and local president of the National Union of Students of France (UNEF), who has led the project since 2023.
At UPEC, students who suffer from dysmenorrhea (painful periods) benefit from twelve days of justified absence per year upon presentation of a medical certificate. A way to reassure teaching teams about the possible abuse of absences. “The greatest fear regarding the introduction of menstrual leave, It is the idea that students use this leave to miss classesexplains Anne de Rugy, sociologist, professor and vice president of student life and participation at UPEC, who worked for the implementation of this license. But students have no interest in missing classes to succeed. This system is, above all, a recognition that having your period can be debilitating. »
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