New NHS task force puts menopause and women’s health first in pledge to end ‘decades of gender inequality’
MENOPAUSE support may finally get the attention it deserves as the UK government announces plans to boost menopause awareness, banish medical taboos and ban hymenoplasty – dangerous “virginity repair” surgeries.
Ministers today published their Vision for Women’s Health, which aims to address “decades of gender health inequality” and “reset the dial on women’s health“.
Initially ministers have said they will appoint a Women’s Health Ambassador, to “raise the profile of women’s health,” and “increase awareness about taboo topics”.
A full Women’s Health Strategy will then be released in spring 2022.
Crucially, the government pledged on Wednesday to introduce legislation to outlaw hymenoplasty – surgery to rebuild or repair a woman or girl’s hymen – “at the earliest opportunity”.
A new UK-wide menopause task force will also be launched and the cost of Hormone Replacement Therapy, reduced, to make the treatment more accessible and affordable for those who need it.
The announcement comes after more than 100,000 women and organisations made their voices heard and stepped up to share their health worries following a nationwide call for evidence.
Responses revealed that more than eight in 10 women have felt they weren’t listened to by healthcare professionals.
Menopause proved a key area of concern, with analysis showing that many women believe “compulsory training” for GPs, specifically on women’s health issues and the menopause, is vital to “ensure their needs are met”.
Other highlighted problems include a feeling that services that only affect women are considered “lower priority”, while two in three respondents who live with a disability or health condition don’t feel adequately supported by the service currently designed to treat them.
Women also said they are prevented or dissuaded from seeking help due to taboos and stigmas that suggest their symptoms, however debilitating, are actually ‘normal’.
This can delay treatment, and leave women in a lot of pain they feel they should be able to cope, or just get on, with.
It makes sense that half aren’t comfortable sharing their health issues with people at work either.
Minister for Women’s Health Maria Caulfield said: “The responses from the call for evidence were in many ways as expected, particularly with regards to women’s priorities, but in some places the revelations were shocking.
“It is not right that over three quarters of women feel the healthcare service has not listened.
“This must be addressed.
“Many of the issues raised require long-term system wide changes, but we must start somewhere.”
She added that this newly published vision “is the first step to realising our ambition of a healthcare system which supports women’s needs throughout their lives.”
Fabulous Menopause Matters
An estimated one in five of the UK’s population are currently experiencing it.
Yet the menopause is still whispered in hush tones like it’s something to be embarrassed about.
The stigma attached to the transition means women have been suffering in silence for centuries.
The Sun are determined to change that, launching the Fabulous Menopause Matters campaign to give the taboo a long-awaited kick, and get women the support they need.
The campaign has three aims:
- To make HRT free in England
- To get every workplace to have a menopause policy to provide support
- To bust taboos around the menopause
The campaign has been backed by a host of influential figures including Baroness Karren Brady CBE, celebrities Lisa Snowdon, Jane Moore, Michelle Heaton, Zoe Hardman, Saira Khan, Trisha Goddard, as well as Dr Louise Newson, Carolyn Harris MP, Jess Phillips MP, Caroline Nokes MP and Rachel Maclean MP.
Exclusive research commissioned by Fabulous, which surveyed 2,000 British women aged 45-65 who are going through or have been through the menopause, found that 49% of women suffered feelings of depression, while 7% felt suicidal while going through the menopause.
50% of respondents said there is not enough support out there for menopausal women, which is simply not good enough. It’s time to change that.
The announcement is a positive step, one that’s in sync with The Sun’s Fabulous Menopause Matters campaign, which has called time on the lack of awareness around menopause and the workplace.
An exclusive survey for the campaign found that women usually first notice menopause symptoms around the age of 47, a whopping 18 years before the accepted retirement age.
It means millions of women face brain fog, anxiety, hot flushes, memory loss and other debilitating symptoms at work.
Many don’t feel able to discuss this with their boss or colleagues, and as the government’s vision document outlines, stigma can further prevent women seeking support.
Smashing taboos when talking about health, as well as making sure women have access to the services and information they need, is at the core of the government’s new vision.
While we will have to wait for more detail to be released, it’s particularly encouraging that the government has said it plans to make sure “women feel supported in the workplace” so they can “reach their full potential”.
The menopause forces up to one in eight women to leave their jobs, while others take time off, opt for early retirement or pass up promotions because of difficult symptoms.
Greater awareness, better medical support and women feeling able to discuss the effects of the menopause more openly at home and work can have a hugely beneficial impact on women’s lives.
Pledge to join the campaign and introduce policies at your workplace by emailing fabulous@fabulousmag.co.uk.
