PPEP Talk®

PPEP Talk® is a fun, medically accurate and age-appropriate information session incorporating the modern neuroscience of pain, of benefit to all students, particularly the 1 in 4 girls and people assigned female at birth with severe period pain.

Approximately half of these girls and people assigned female at birth will develop endometriosis during their teens and twenties. The Program, lasting one hour, is delivered by fully trained educators and incorporates animation, video and interactive components. It includes specifically developed resources for use during the session and resources for girls with pain to take home and discuss with their parents. The 60-minute session is followed by an opportunity for individual students, or teachers, with specific or personal pain concerns to discuss these with the program educator individually. In this way, PPEP Talk® provides early intervention and supports girls, families, teachers, and schools at a time when pain is more easily managed, and the life effects of pain and missed school can be most efficiently minimised.

This curriculum-linked health and wellbeing education program is aimed at students in Year 10, an age where most students will have begun menstruating. PPEP Talk® is an Australian program presented across Government, Catholic and Independent schools.

The Periods, Pain and Endometriosis (PPEP Talk®) Program is an initiative of the Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia (PPFA), funded by the Federal Government Department of Health with support from State and Territory Governments.

PPEP Talk® addresses the number one priority of the National Action Plan for Endometriosis – education and awareness. PPEP Talk® is the largest pain education program for students in Australia. It plays a critical role in informing and educating students to recognise and identify whether their pain is normal, how all the different symptoms fit together, simple ways to reduce their pain, and how to look for further help if pain is severe. This allows students to fulfil their true potential, without the burden of pain.

Students who do not have pain will be better prepared for pain conditions that they may develop in the future. Sessions for boys and people assigned male at birth help students be more comfortable discussing menstruation and help them learn how best to support the people in their life with pain.

Sustainability of messaging is of importance to the Program. With this in mind, the Online PPEP Talk® Next Steps provides information to Parents and Caregivers of students who may identify with the information learned in PPEP Talk®. Clinical Educators also reach out to GPs and Allied Health in areas we visit, offering opportunities for further education and upskilling to ensure students have the best pathways to healthcare.