Menopause Mandate is launching in the US, with award-winning actor, producer and activist Naomi Watts taking on the role of chair.
Watts’s menopause story is only too common, and her advocacy and support for midlife women already well-documented (and much appreciated). Menopause Mandate are honoured that Naomi is joining them, and helping to lead and further expand the menopause space.
Naomi Watts says:
“It’s time for America to start acknowledging menopause, and I am thrilled to be chair of Menopause Mandate in the US. Like millions of women, I knew very little about menopause until it happened. My symptoms started in my late 30s, then, after my second baby, aged just 40, I plunged into a world of catastrophic night sweats, insomnia and itchy skin. I felt lonely, uninformed, undesirable and also physically terrible! It is unfathomable that menopause isn’t spoken about enough, and that we aren’t automatically educated about a change which all women will go through. That’s why I founded Stripes – a line of peri- and menopause solutions, with a robust education platform and strong community of women supporting women.
Menopause Mandate in the US, like its counterpart in the UK, is here to build on and increase that community, education and the availability of solutions. Most importantly, the message is that menopause isn’t the end, but the beginning. Now, I am the best version of myself. With support, that’s how all women should feel. We need to stop whispering and start shouting. We need to be inspiring, enlightening and positive, and that’s what Menopause Mandate is here to do.”
UK chair of Menopause Mandate Mariella Frostrup says, “We are thrilled to be joined by such an inspiring, pioneering and downright fabulous woman, and I can’t wait to work together to support women in the US as well as the UK.”
Menopause Mandate update
This time last year was the inaugural gathering of the organisation at the Houses of Parliament. Since then, they have gained thousands of supporters, launched a hotline, published a book and held a rally, as well as communicating widely on TV, radio in the press, and on social media, about menopause. On 25th Tuesday April they had their first birthday in the same location, and also celebrated a year of wins for menopause campaigners.
The Menopause Mix: Hot 100, a fun way to drive more understanding and awareness of menopause symptoms, is available on Spotify. It’s a brilliant playlist that reads as a story, and can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6Q1RS3Dj3T0Yf2yxy1duGd
In wider news, and thanks to all the campaigners out there, there’s huge cause for celebration. The 1st April launch of the HRT Prescription Prepayment Certificate (PPC) means that women can receive a year’s worth of HRT for the cost of just two prescriptions (£19.30). But there’s no question of the company halting their efforts.
New patrons
Menopause Mandate are over the moon to present two new initiatives to support women and health professionals, as well as welcoming two new patrons: radio DJ and presenter Jo Whiley, and author and scriptwriter Emma Kennedy. As ever, they thank all their patrons, experts and advocates for their freely and generously given support and time.
Short films for healthcare professionals
In partnership with Theramex, they have made a series of 12 short films directed at healthcare professionals, featuring pharmacist Thorrun Govind, and British Menopause Society-accredited menopause specialist and trainer Dr Juliet Balfour, who runs an NHS menopause clinic.
These are free for all GPs, pharmacists and their teams. Subjects covered include the diagnosis of peri-menopause and menopause, the correct prescribing of HRT, the truth about testosterone, how the HRT PPC works, advice for those with breast cancer, and what lifestyle advice can be offered.
Theramex has had no involvement in the content of these films, and all recommendations follow British Menopause Society guidelines.
Menstrual and Menopausal Health in the Workplace standard to launch
With research from the Fawcett Society suggesting that one in ten working menopausal women is considering leaving employment because of symptoms, but no official menopause policy in place, it’s great news that the British Standards Institution (BSI), which is responsible for publishing national guidelines to aid UK organisations, is launching BS 30416, the Menstruation, Menstrual Health and Menopause in the Workplace guide this spring. Menopause Mandate announced this on Tuesday.
The standard can be used as a toolkit for organisations to build a menstrual health and menopause-inclusive work environment. It will benefit employees, by providing adjustments and creating a supportive open culture, and also employers, by improving the engagement of staff and reducing the loss of staff and associated costs.
BSI sees this as an opportunity to kickstart change, to break through taboos in the workplace and to generate a more inclusive and compassionate work environment.
Goals going forward
Menopause Mandate’s goals remain the same: education for all, and affordable and accessible treatment, whether that be HRT or other options.
The continuing efforts of Menopause Mandate wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of all their sponsors, with the company giving special thanks to Dark Horses, Holland & Barrett, Sytner Group, Dentons, Let’s All Talk Menopause and Theramex.
Menopause Mandate chair Mariella Frostrup says: “I am thrilled to be celebrating the first birthday of Menopause Mandate. I don’t think any of us anticipated quite how much we’d achieve, or how dedicated to the cause we’d still be a year on. And, perhaps most importantly, how many women and men would join us in calling for menopause to be more widely acknowledged and supported.”
Carolyn Harris, MP, commented: “When I think back to this last time last year and remember the anger and frustration felt by so many of us, I feel a real sense of pride at how far we have come. On Menopause Mandate’s first birthday we are celebrating the achievements of everyone who has joined us on our mission to get better access to menopause support and treatment for all. We are seeing real progress but there is still a lot more to do, and I am excited to see what we will be celebrating this time next year.
Radio DJ and presenter Jo Whiley adds, “The more of us speaking about menopause and joining together the better. I’m pleased to be a part of Menopause Mandate and to support their goals.”
Please contact info@menopausemandate.com for more information
Links to GP and pharmacist webinars can be found on menopausemandate.com or via the organisation’s social media
For more information about the new BSI standard, email jane.packer@bsigroup.com
