It's time for change. Join the MENOCAUSE
This is the Menopause Mandate
With the ongoing and unresolved HRT shortages, our campaign is launching just in time.
The Menopause Mandate brings together the campaigners, the experts and the individuals under one umbrella. There are thought to be around 26 million peri and post menopausal women in the UK and it's the biggest women's issue of the moment. Yet menopause provision remains shockingly poor.
We all have the same aim; for menopause to be put firmly on the map. There needs to be nationwide legislation, education and accessible and affordable HRT and treatments for all women.
We're inviting everybody to join us by signing up to our website (menopausemandate.com), signing our petition to bring forward the promised one-off annual charge for HRT (currently set for April 2023), and by attending our rally this summer.
Women need to be supported right now.
WHO ARE WE?
We are campaigners, politicians, menopause experts, real women and celebrities. Led by Labour MP Carolyn Harris, supporters include leading menopause clinicians as well as Davina McCall, Mariella Frostrup, Penny Lancaster, Lisa Snowdon, Gabby Logan, Jo Elvin and many more....
THERE ARE FOUR KEY POINTS
EDUCATION FOR ALL
In 2021 Menopause Support revealed that 41% of UK medical schools don't have mandatory menopause education on their curriculum.
We say: Health professionals aren't adequately educated, and women aren't given routine consultations about the subject. We deserve up to date advice so that we can make the right choices and lifestyle changes.
STOP THE SCAREMONGERING
The official stance of the British Menopause Society is that for most women the benefits of HRT outweigh the risks.
We say: HRT is recommended by NICE as a first line and proven treatment for menopause symptoms. Evidence is clear that HRT begun before the age of 60 or within 10 years of the menopause is likely to be associated with a reduction in coronary heart disease, osteoporosis and cardiovascular mortality.
PRESCRIBING RIGHT
Stats from the Nuffield Health Group revealed that just over a quarter of women who visited a GP said the possibility of their symptoms being menopausal wasn't addressed. Only one in five was prescribed HRT.
We say: When women seek advice they are frequently dismissed or not offered first line treatment as per NICE guidance. In some parts of the country as few as one in ten women are taking HRT.
For those who do not wish to or cannot take HRT, other options such as SSRI/SRNI antidepressants, Clonidine, CBT, Acceptance and Commitment therapy, yoga and acupuncture need to be explained and be available.
AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE HRT
HRT should be free in England as it is in Scotland and Wales. Refusing to urgently reduce the cost means that there is socioeconomic discrimination when it comes to menopause provision.
We say: HRT isn't a luxury and it ought to be available for all who wish to use it, especially those who go through Primary Ovarian Insufficiency, surgical or chemical menopause, who need HRT. Many women are already having to choose between heating and eating.
THE PETITION
On 29th October 2021, Labour MP Carolyn Harris succeeded in getting HRT costs reduced to a once a year payment in England (an Annual Prepayment Certificate for HRT products). On March 16th, 2022, it was announced that this won't be implemented till April 2023, leaving many struggling to pay.
We are calling for the change to be made sooner.
Carolyn Harris MP
“I am delighted to be joining so many other influential women as we continue to campaign for widespread improvements to menopause support and services.
“The annual prepayment certificate is vital if we are to see HRT become accessible to all women who want it, and the delay to this being implemented is unacceptable.
“But there is much more that needs improving – in workplaces, in education, amongst medical professionals and across society. And by working together we can change things and ensure that going forward women have much more positive menopause experiences than so many of us have had.’
For more information, see www.menopausemandate.com or email laura.biggs@intuitiveevents.co.uk