Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 66 of the Women's Health Strategy for England published on 30 August 2022, what steps has his Department taken to encourage research on the relationship between menstruation and (a) Covid-19 and (b) long Covid.

The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Subject to receiving high quality applications, the NIHR expects to commission a new policy research unit dedicated to reproductive health. The new unit will undertake research to inform policy in areas such as menstruation and gynaecological conditions. Applications are currently being reviewed and the unit is expected to operate from January 2024. While the NIHR has funded research on menstruation, gynaecological conditions, COVID-19, the long term effects of COVID-19 infection, mental health and the treatment of fibroids, no specific research on the relationship between these conditions has been commissioned. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made based on the importance to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. It is not usual practice for the NIHR to ring-fence a proportion of its budget for research into particular topics or conditions.