It’s four weeks to the day since we began the #KnowYourMenopause campaign and it’s been incredible.
In fact, we have been blown away by the pick-up. Every day, we get new #PosterSelfies from men, women, children and even dogs and guinea pigs! Each one of them is a sign of support for women going through the menopause.
So far, we have had we had the backing of:
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the Scottish Government, with the poster being incorporated into the new Period and Menopause Policy and our lovely Pausitivity co-founder Karen Kenning asked to talk at Holyrood;
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Manchester City Council’s health committee all posed with the poster after discussing menopause in a show of support;
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Chief Inspector Helen Smith of South Yorkshire Police asked to use them in every toilet in her force’s region;
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UnisonWALES are displaying the poster in their offices;
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Kent Community NHS Trust discussed the posters in their staff health and wellbeing group and are taking them forward as a trust;
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Bradford University displayed the posters during their Menopause Awareness Week, and
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East England Ambulance Service is linking the poster to their in-house menopause survey.
And they’re just the main ones!
We have MPs, MSPs, Welsh AMs and GPs (including TV’s Dr Sarah Jarvis, Dr Amir Khan and Dr Zoe Williams), Nina from the amazing Walk the Walk, councils and councillors, NHS trusts and community health groups backing us.
And I’m not finished…
On the streets of Madrid…
Menopause campaigners including Menopause Café and Diane Danzebrink of Menopause Support have shared their posterselfies. We’ve had support from Marian Keyes, Kaye Adams, Liz Kershaw, Yvette Cooper, Jenny Eclair, Amanda Prowse, Dr Rangan Chatterjee, Gemma & Emma, Liz Earle, models, shop assistants, radio presenters…
The wonderful Westdal and Hayward not only shared our message, but sent us this hilarious video of them in action. (If you’re at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, go check them out because I was wiping tears away laughing.)
Oh, and did I mention we’ve been on the radio and in the newspapers – this is just some of the coverage (click on the pics to read more.)
Basically, we’re shattered! And also very, very proud.
It has been amazing and also sad, as we’ve heard from so many people saying how much a simple poster could have helped them.
We have something special in the pipeline but we still need your help…
Why is this important?
Around a third of the UK’s female population are either peri or post-menopausal and it’s estimated that one in four of them will suffer debilitating symptoms that can last more than a decade.
At my Menopause Café, I was once again struck by how little we had known about menopause symptoms before we were hit. Yes, everyone knew about hot flushes, but few knew how bad they could be.
No one knew about other symptoms, such as disturbed sleep, aches and pains, heart palpitations, mood swings, vaginal dryness, depression, forgetfulness, loss of libido… And because of this, they went through needless anxiety and worry. Relationships also suffer because the women don’t know how to explain why they’ve changed overnight.
How you can get involved
Pausitivity wants you to download (all you have to do is click on it) and print the poster and pin it up wherever it can be seen – and not just in places where women go. We want this poster to be seen anywhere and everywhere by anyone and everyone.
Where you could share the poster:
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Community centres
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Health centres
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Work noticeboards
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Slack groups
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Gyms
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Church halls
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Slimming groups
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Playgroups
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Supermarket noticeboards
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Union meetings
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Pub toilets
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That trendy café down the road
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A window
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Your desk at work
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ANYWHERE (so long as it’s legal!)
And then share the message on social media under the hashtag #KnowYourMenopause. We’d love to see photos of you and the poster together to add to our ever-growing wall of fame.
We even have a Welsh version! 
How will the poster help women?
Seeing the KnowYourMenopause poster will not only help women understand what they’re going through, but it will also make them feel less alone and help break the taboo that surrounds menopause.
It’s not just helping the women going through the menopause now you’ll be making a difference to. By downloading and sharing our poster, you’ll be helping daughters, nieces, granddaughters, goddaughters, the woman in the office, the woman in the shop – every woman now and in the future.
And you’ll be showing support to those women going through an early menopause, either natural or surgical, many of whom say they get little or no help with how the menopause will affect them.
By downloading this poster, you are:
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empowering women to understand what is happening to their bodies;
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showing menopausal women they’re not alone;
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supporting women going through an early menopause;
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breaking down the taboo around menopause;
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helping GPs diagnose menopause quicker, meaning women get help quicker,
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and saving the NHS money in wasted prescriptions, GP appointments and tests.
With your help, we can prevent other women from needless worry and suffering and that’s amazing.
Spread the word!
If you can think of a healthcare or women’s group that would like to get involved with KnowYourMenopause and help midlife women, spread the word and help us make some noise.
Like and share posts with the hashtag #KnowYourMenopause and follow the members of Pausitivity. We are:
Clare Shepherd – Menopause Coach
our amazing designer @shieldsdesign20,
and, of course, me! I’m on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
You can also follow Pausitivty on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Please help us to help others #KnowYourMenopause.
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