Westminster menopause event hosted by Eastbourne MP

MP Caroline Ansell said further education and awareness is required to support women.

Lewes MP and health minister Maria Caulfield also attended the event organised by Katie Day, a menopause expert, and Dr Roger Prentis – both from RDP International Ltd.

Mrs Ansell spoke at the event about how a lack of understanding and support had ‘wreaked havoc’, caused relationship breakdowns and problems at work for women she had been supporting.

She said, “There is now much more openness about this time in a woman's life but we still have some way to go to ensure wider society, employers and health professionals understand what it means to women and how physical changes and psychological impacts can adversely affect them in many ways.

"The powerful message we took from the event was that the menopause doesn’t have to be life-limiting.”

The health minister told the meeting about the upcoming women's health strategy and the ways in which it would address the menopause.

The minister also spoke about the inclusion of a new women's health ambassador and how this role would allow issues such as hormone replacement therapy to be raised more effectively, according to Mrs Ansell.

Mrs Ansell said expert Ms Day gave a powerful talk about her personal story and the critical difference informed menopause support and awareness can make. She highlighted the estimated 14 million working days per year that are lost to menopause issues as one measure of what is at stake.

Ms Day added, “The menopause seems to be everywhere we look these days and has become a bandwagon on which everyone and everything from beauty products to supermarkets have attached themselves.

“However, there is still a lack of good-quality, evidence-based information for organisations and women and we were delighted to work with Caroline Ansell MP to help increase awareness with the right information.”

Mrs Asnell said, “I was delighted to host this important event, thank you to everyone who attended.

"There will be further work on this locally to come.”

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