Community Menopause Health event: Our engagement
Participants
Last week members of the local community were invited to join as well as experts - Dr Yasmin Razak, GP at Golborne Medical Centre, Dr Shree Datta – Consultant Obstetrician & Gynecologist, Dominic Haigh – Registered Associate Nutritionist and Ivana Ladan – CBT Therapist, Community Living Well.
The experts shared useful insights and advice on signs of menopause, health and wellbeing, nutrition
This event was the last of a series of Menopause health events organised by Community Living Well – Talking Therapies. Earlier this summer, we participated in the community menopause health event at Earls court community champions.
Our engagement
Healthwatch Kensington and Chelsea held a stall at the event with our staff and had a fantastic opportunity to engage with the local community, share our materials and get feedback from participants on their health service experiences in relation to their menopause journey.
We heard from women about differing experiences of menopause, how other aspects of women's health have formed part of this, for example endometriosis, and about positive and negative experiences of accessing medical intervention, such as HRT and other prescriptions. Women reported the value of being listened to and receiving timely support.
Some women shared:
“It’s a rollercoaster, I try and speak to health professionals and get supplements but it’s a rollercoaster... you have to deal with a lot”
“My male GP doesn’t really go into depth about links between moon cycle, hormonal issues related to menopause...time feels limited”
“I’m so glad to understand what support can be available. This event has taught me a lot about my body”
Themes discussed
Alongside Healthwatch Kensington and Chelsea, participants also included expert speakers, including Dr Shree Datta, Psychotherapist Ivana Ladan as well as nutrition and health and wellbeing experts.
The topics discussed throughout the course of the day by the expert speakers included: a detailed explanation of menopause and perimenopause, signs and symptoms of menopause, advice on what we can do, treatment and care, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and its side effects, wellbeing, nutrition and lifestyle, including exercises and dealing with stress. Participants also had a chance to get involved in team movement exercises to encourage activities to help manage menopause.
Participants also had the opportunity to engage and ask questions to expert speakers, which was informative for participants. The event concluded with exercises conducted by a personal trainer, which empowered participants and strengthened community ties.
