“People really want to tell their story and share what’s happening to them, because a lot of people think they’re going mad,” says Hazel Acland, Director at The Nest South West CIC. The Nest is a social enterprise that supports women through the life transitions of menstruation, pregnancy, birth and menopause. Today we are talking about their menopause support, and particularly Exeter Menopause Café, which they hold on the first Friday of every month.
Until very recently the menopause was seen as a bit of a taboo. This meant women tended to struggle through silently, often not even realizing that symptoms they were experiencing were connected to the menopause. Slowly that is changing, thanks in part to celebrities such as Davina McCall speaking out on the subject. And as people become more comfortable talking about it, menopause cafés like the one in Exeter are starting to pop up around the country. The cafés follow guidelines set out by the national Menopause Café charity, which was founded in Scotland in 2017, and provide a safe space where people can share their experiences with others and realise they’re not alone. “It normalizes it and breaks stigma,” says Hazel, adding that she thinks every neighbourhood should have a menopause café.
Devon is some way off having a menopause café in every neighbourhood but the support available around the county is starting to grow, and there is a push for more. Jinty Sheerin runs the Exmouth Menopause Café and co-hosts the WomenKind Podcast, where the menopause is a common topic. Through hosting the podcast Jinty and her co-host, Lou Hockings-Thompson, have been inspired to launch the #wheresmycliniccampaign, calling for a specialist NHS menopause clinic for Devon. At the moment the nearest clinics are in Bristol or Poole. “We talk to menopause specialists and advocates all over the country for our podcast and I thought, hang on we don’t have the support here that you’re talking about,” says Jinty. The campaign has attracted the support of Jinty’s local MP, Simon Jupp, who has raised the matter in Parliament. They have also had a positive meeting with the local CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group), with a follow-up meeting on the cards. “I think we’ll get there,” Jinty says. “I just don’t know how long it will take.”
Both Jinty and Hazel say that women who go to their GP often express frustration at the response they get. However, Jinty stresses that it’s not usually the fault of the GP if they can’t do more, because they generally don’t have specialist training in this area. “Most of them really want to help,” she says, and a Devon clinic would give them somewhere they could refer women on to or contact themselves to ask for advice they could then pass on to their patients.
It’s important for women to be able to speak about their experience of the menopause and find appropriate support and treatment because the symptoms can be debilitating. Physical symptoms can include hot flushes, irregular periods, difficulty sleeping and muscle aches, while mental health symptoms may include anxiety, mood swings, low self-esteem and memory problems. These can have a huge impact on people’s lives. A 2016 survey conducted by Wellbeing of Women found that a quarter of those questioned had considered quitting their job because of the menopause. Links have also been made between the menopause and relationships breaking down, and some women have spoken about having suicidal thoughts during the menopause.
Hazel agrees with Jinty that it’s “shocking” Devon doesn’t have its own menopause clinic and fully supports her campaign to bring one to the county. But she also believes strongly in “peer empowerment” and encourages people to set up their own menopause café or similar if there isn’t a group nearby.
Below we have listed the menopause support groups and cafés that we’re aware of in Devon, along with some other relevant resources. If you know of a group that’s not listed here please send us the details. The Menopause Café website has lots of useful information on setting up your own café. And if you need funding for your group we might be able to help. You can contact the Community Insight Team via insights@devoncf.com.
