"Periods and menopause are not a women's issue -
they are an issue for everybody."
Diane Danzebrink
The second webinar from the virtual Women's Rights in
Healthcare series showcased two inspiring women who are campaigning
to tackle taboos relating to women's everyday reproductive
cycles.
Suzanne White, head of clinical negligence at Leigh Day,
introduced Amika George and Diane Danzebrink.
Amika was a 17-year-old A-level student when she began the Free
Periods campaign in 2017, aiming to end period poverty by providing
schools with government funded menstrual products so girls do not
have to miss school because of lack of access to sanitary
items.
Diane Danzebrink is a menopause counsellor who founded the #makemenopausematter campaign and the menopause support website. She works tirelessly to support women, their partners, employers and healthcare professionals to understand more about the menopause and its impact on all aspects of life.
Amika spoke about what inspired her to start the Free
Periods campaign when she was a teenager, and the challenges she
faced in persuading the UK government to take notice. She
said:
"I was a sixth form student in North London, when I read an
article on my phone one morning that reported many girls were
missing school - sometimes up to a whole week every month - because
they could not afford period products. This really shocked me, that
in 21st century Britain we could have girls missing school because
they don't have enough money for a pad or tampon."
Amika described how her campaign grew from outrage at the breakfast table into something much bigger.
"I started a social media campaign, a petition on change.org,
and organised a protest outside Downing Street. The response I
received from hundreds of young girls and women was incredible -
they were so passionate about this issue. With the support of
several celebrities, and a few MPs, we were trending on Twitter and
had coverage on every TV news channel," she said.
Word of Amika's campaign spread fast and several other
countries began tackling the issue. In contrast, the frustratingly
slow response from her own government prompted the Free Periods
campaign to become a limited company and launch a legal challenge
in 2019.
Amika said:
"That was a transformative moment for me; people woke up to
the fact that I couldn't just be written off as an angry
schoolgirl - they realised I have the law on my side and they have
to take me seriously."
Two and a half years after starting the campaign, the government
did agree to launch a scheme to fund period products in school from
January 2020.
As well as working to ensure schools take up the scheme, Amika
remains passionate about educating students and ridding periods of
their taboo status:
"The word 'period' still scares people. So many
girls are taught to hide tampons up their sleeve on their way to
the toilet, and this teaches them it is something to be ashamed
about. There is a huge need for good education and more openness
around periods in schools - I'm determined to change the
conversation."
Suzanne White drew parallels with Diane Danzebrink's
menopause work. Both periods and menopause continue to be taboo
subjects that are rarely spoken about and, as a result, women feel
embarrassed and often suffer in silence because of this.
Diane explained more about her campaign to change the menopause status quo. She said:
"My work stems from my own personal experience when I had to
have my ovaries, womb and cervix removed suddenly, at 44 years,
because of cancer.
"I was not given adequate time to prepare, or any information
about the menopause I would have to go through. I declined the
initial offer of HRT from my GP - as all I had heard was scare
stories in the media - and my doctor didn't explain why
replacing lost hormones was so important.
"Within a few months, I was very anxious, I had given up work,
didn't want to socialise or even walk my beloved dogs. I
thought I was going mad and was just a non-functioning husk of my
former self.
"One day, after a moment of suicidal thought, my terrified husband took me back to the GP to see someone who was, fortunately, much more helpful at explaining why I was feeling the way I was, and how crucial it was that I replace my absent oestrogen by taking HRT. I thought 'if I ever feel better, I am going to do all I can to make sure no other woman has to go through this experience'."
After having to see a menopause specialist, privately, to get on to
the right type and amount of HRT, and time to adjust and recover
further, Diane began to feel well enough to fulfil her promise to
help other women.
She explained:
"I started the menopause support website and Facebook group
from my kitchen table. Hearing from thousands of women, it was very
clear that my experience was not unusual at all, and there was
indeed a huge void of knowledge within healthcare professionals
about the impact of menopause, the variety of how symptoms can
present, and the importance of getting the right help, including
HRT."
In 2018, the #makemenopausematter campaign was launched; it had
three main objectives:
- To improve training to healthcare professionals, particularly GPs
- To see greater support for menopause in the workplace
- To introduce menopause into the Relationships and Sex Education curriculum in secondary schools
Diane said:
"In less than a year after launch, with the help from some
very supportive MPs, we were successful in getting the curriculum
addition we had fought for.
"Now, as a not-for-profit company, we are seeking funds to
be able to provide schools, workplaces and GP practices with clear,
evidence-based menopause information packs - tailored to each
setting - to help meet our other two aims. There is no point in
flagging up problems unless you're willing to help with the
solutions."
Speaking on behalf of Amika's campaign as well,
Diane concluded the webinar with the following:
"Periods and menopause are not a women's issue - they are an issue for everybody. Doing something about this is not just a win-win for now, it's a win-win for the future."
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