Menopause and Mind

Hi Everyone,

World Menopause Day and Menopause and Mind Updates!

Today is World Menopause Day and I wanted to send out an update and best wishes to you all wherever you are on your menopause journey, or whether you are perhaps supporting a partner or friend, workmate or anyone who is on their menopause journey.

World Menopause Day is held every year on 18 October. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the menopause and the support options available for improving health and well being.

This year we are using this day to launch our second piece of research on Menopause and Mental Health Support in and around the Brighton and Hove area, it is a detailed survey asking about your experiences. You can read more about why we need more research, particularly for LGBTQIA+ groups, groups impacted by trauma, minority ethic groups, refugees, alongside those who are neurodivergent or have pre-existing mental and physical health issues here.

Our last research report “I suffer in silence” has been seen by Medical Professionals, GP surgeries, considered by members of the Sussex Integrated Care Board and informed community groups across Brighton and Hove. It has also gone much further and we received a message from a Portuguese Medical Doctor working on holistically supporting those experiencing menopause who wanted to let us know he was referencing the work we are doing. 

Your voices are being heard and they matter, change will happen! We are launching our new survey and would kindly ask that if you have time you share your experiences with us. You can complete the survey at this link here.

We have a schedule of upcoming events too!

• ADHD Menopause Soundscape Workshop – 30 Oct (sold out)
• Hypnotherapy and Hormones with Yasmin Williams – 4 Nov
• Mindfulness and Clay Workshop with Kirsty Lumm and Yasmin Williams- 13 Nov
• Winter Celebration – w/c 9 Dec TBC (we are still confirming a venue)
• The Medicine in your Menopause – with Sally Garozzo – 18 Jan – venue still to be confirmed – details up soon!

All events can be booked via our Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/menopause-and-mind-60181017753 

I’ve also just had confirmation that Sentia (an alternative to alcohol) will continue to sponsor us and will send us some Sentia Gold to try at our next session!

Please be kind to yourselves, embrace the uncertainty, you will make it through this.

Sending much loving kindness to you all!

Heather McKnight | Menopause and Mind | Research and Development

About Us

Menopause and Mind focus on raising awareness of the impact of menopause on mental health, and providing support for people experiencing menopause-related mental health struggles. Our focus is on well-being, transformation and connection, and intergenerational sharing. We explore creative approaches to mental well-being and practices of collective care, and look at the language around menopause, looking at the climacteric as an important term in realising a new, inclusive and transformative and positive approach to menopause. 

We recognise that the mainstream narrative of menopause does not include everyone and discriminates and excludes many marginalised voices, including (not exhaustively) LGBTQIA+, trans voices, minority ethnic voices and neuro and physical diverse groups. We also recognise the negative impact that adverse childhood experiences have during menopause and that menopause happens at many ages, and impacts on those experiencing POI (Premature Ovarian Insufficiency) and surgical menopause can be particularly challenging. There is a lack of information of the impact of other conditions such as endometriosis on menopause due to lack of high quality research. Menopause and Mind embrace menodiversity and welcomes any person experiencing menopausal symptoms from any background. We are open to feedback and to improve our sessions, and to ensuring that we are using inclusive language and approaches. We support the aims of the Menopause Inclusion Collective