With the "Femmunity Café", a new Science Communication format opened its doors in Bonn on September 5th. The series offers a unique opportunity for the public to engage with scientists on the menstrual cycle, immunity, and women’s health. The event blends a relaxed café atmosphere with expert knowledge, creating a space where curiosity and conversation around topics mostly not publicly discussed are welcomed and current scientific insights are made excessible to everyone. The series is closely associated to the Femmunity Studie, a joined endeavour by the University of Bonn and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE).
This Friday, the café at Bonn University's P26 was filled with visitors eager to learn about the biology of menstruation and its broader implications for health. Scientists arround ImmunoSensation2 member Dr. Tal Pecht, leader of the Femmunity Study, guided through the menstrual cycle, and explained how hormonal fluctuations are connected to immune function, metabolism, and the gut microbiome.
Breaking taboos around menstruation
Menstruation remains a subject out of focus due to persistent stigmatization, even though it plays a crucial role in health and immunity. The Femmunity Café addresses this gap by offering a space where questions are welcomed and open dialogue is encouraged. Attendees could explore how the menstrual cycle affects the immune system and metabolism while enjoying a relaxed café environment. By linking scientific knowledge to everyday experience, the event helps normalize conversations about women’s health and supports a broader cultural shift toward openness.
Advancing equity in science
Historically, research on women’s health and menstrual biology has been limited, creating knowledge gaps with real consequences for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. "With the Femmunity Café we want to counter this by highlighting the importance of studying female-specific biology" explains Dr. Tal Pecht, group leader at the Systems Medicine Department at DZNE, Bonn. “Our goal is to advance equity in medicine by addressing knowledge gaps in women’s health and bringing menstrual biology into focus." With this in mind, the café is set up as an educational platform that connects the public with ongoing research and demonstrates how equity in science can be advanced by focusing on questions that have traditionally received less attention. Through discussions, visitors gain insight into the scientific rationale behind studying the menstrual cycle and how it can influence broader aspects of health. By introducing visitors to ongoing research, the café provides a unique interface between science and society, fostering public understanding while inviting participation in the Femmunity Study.
The femmunity study
The Femmunity Study is a collaborative project between the DZNE and the University of Bonn, jointly led by Dr. Tal Pecht (DZNE) and Jun. Prof. Marie Christine Simon (University of Bonn). "We investigate how hormonal changes influence the immune system, menstrual fluid, body metabolism and gut microbiome." states Dr. Tal Pecht. Understanding how the immune system functions during the menstrual cycle is crucial to comprehensively understanding female immunity and women's health. Furthermore, linking this information to changes in metabolism and the microbiome will help to understand how a woman's body responds to environmental influences, infections, and diseases.
Read more about the goals and accomplishments of the Femmunity Study.
The next Femmunity Café will take place on Friday, September 15th.
Contact
German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
mail: talpecht@uni-bonn.de
phone: +49 228 43302707
