July Newsletter
PeriHub news, breast health, and travelling abroad.
This month, a new collaboration, endometriosis research and more!
An early morning message that could help a whole community.
Some collaborations take months of careful planning. This one started with a Facebook message at 7:30am and a reply 20 minutes later.
That's the story I'm sharing this month: how MenoVida found Perimenopause Hub, the UK's largest perimenopause community. As I believe that going to where women already are, is the fastest way to reach and support as many women as possible. You can read the full story below.
There's also plenty happening in the wider world of women's health too.
MENOVIDA NEWS
A 7:30am message. A same-day call. 165,000 women.
I'm thrilled to share our collaboration with Perimenopause Hub, fondly known to its members as PeriHub, the UK's largest online community for women navigating perimenopause and menopause.
FounderEmily Barclay built PeriHub from the ground up into a community of over 165,000 members, supported by more than 50 vetted experts. She had always wanted a tracking app for her community, but had never found one that truly fit. So when I sent her a Facebook message in March last year, Emily replied within 20 minutes, and we were on a call by 4pm the same day.
Since then, Emily and therapist Jo Jones (The TheraCoach) have joined as Founding Ambassadors, helping shape the MenoVida prototype alongside our Health Advisory Board and community.
PeriHub members and the MenoVida community will have first access to our waitlist, so this is just the start. We’ll be sharing more information about signing up very soon!
““One of our founding beliefs is that you go to where the women already are, as there are incredible communities out there, showing up for each other every single day.””
WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Why Early Detection Matters: When your screening letter arrives, please go.
This month I shared something personal on LinkedIn about breast health, screening, and why the conversation around women's pain tolerance is long overdue.
I also had the chance to see Micrima's remarkable technology up close, a pain-free, compression-free approach to breast imaging that started life as radar built to detect landmines. The kind of innovation that makes you wonder why it's taken this long.
Navigating healthcare can feel overwhelming, but making time for routine checks and screenings can be life-saving. You can read my full post here and share it with someone who might need a gentle nudge to book their check.
For support at different points of the breast health journey:
CoppaFeel! — helping young people know their bodies and catch changes early.
Menopause and Cancer CIC — supporting anyone navigating menopause brought on by cancer or its treatment.
Digital symptom checkers could cut endometriosis diagnosis time by four years
Getting an endometriosis diagnosis currently takes an average of seven years. A new study published in npj Digital Medicine found that digital symptom checkers could reduce that wait by over four years, bringing the average diagnosis time down to three years.
It's a powerful reminder of what simple digital tools can do when they're designed around the women using them.
Planning a trip? Don't forget this one thing.
If you're navigating perimenopause and travelling, there's one step that's easy to overlook, telling your travel insurer you're taking prescribed medication. Most policies require you to declare any prescription medicines, including HRT and antidepressants. It doesn't always cost you more, but leaving it off could affect a claim later.
A few other things worth knowing before you go: keep medication in its original labelled packaging, carry it in your hand luggage with a copy of your prescription, and check the rules for your destination in advance. Different countries have different rules, and buying HRT abroad isn't recommended as ingredients and dosages can vary.
Here’s a really helpful guide covering everything else you need to know, from flight rules to controlled medicines to keeping HRT cool in the heat.
You can read it here.
✨ In other news, we also have a new team member. ✨
Amy Swinson joins us as our marketing and communications assistant and will be responsible for our social media channels, our Changemaker Community and managing our waitlist as we move towards our October soft launch.
From next month, Amy will also be taking over the newsletter, so you'll be hearing from her directly. We're thrilled to have her on board, and our Instagram and Facebook channels will, I’m sure, appreciate the extra attention.
Best wishes,
Jo, Amy and the MenoVida Team 🌸
