Menopause Café

Menopause Cafe Sparks Conversation in Perth

An event aimed at normalising conversation around menopause was held in Perth today, as part of World Menopause Day (Friday, 18 October 2024).

Since forming in 2017, Perth charity Menopause Café has sparked a global movement of informal ‘cafes’ worldwide, where people of all ages and genders get together either at work or in the community to discuss menopause.

Since the first ever café in Perth that same year, the charity has supported over 1,800 Menopause Cafes worldwide, from the UK and the USA to Chile, Zambia, Bahrain and Portugal, empowering more than 18,000 participants to get talking.

The Perth Menopause Café coincided with the charity’s new Menopause Awareness Ribbon Campaign. Aimed at employers and the wider public, the campaign signals a willingness to talk about the life transition and reduce the stigma and shame often associated with it.

Mary Lyon from Perth (70) has been attending Menopause Cafes in Perth since they began.

She added, “I first went along as I was having symptoms and wanted to know if anyone had the same ones as me. You hear about hot flushes and brain fog, but others are less spoken about.  I used to lose my temper at the drop of a hat, and when I was working, I was seriously concerned I had early-onset dementia as I was struggling to retain information.

“The Menopause Awareness Ribbon Campaign is such a good idea – a stranger asked me about my ribbon today, and it started a conversation around her symptoms. It’s just good to know you’re not alone, and because there’s such a mix of people at Menopause Café, you have access to a wider pool of information and experiences.  I may be 70 now, but I still go, as I like to show people that you do come out the other side! Helping someone else feels good.”

While ribbons have been distributed across the country, many workplaces are also hosting their own in-house Menopause Cafes.  One of the first employers to support the ribbon campaign was Perth and Kinross Council, which, as well as providing a venue for the café, will light up the city’s Smeaton Bridge in Menopause Cafe colours on World Menopause Day!  Others supporting the initiative include the Universities of Dundee and Edinburgh, Mansfield Building Society, the Vagina Museum and the Adam Smith Business School at the University of Glasgow.

Rachel Weiss, Founder of Menopause Café, said, “We are delighted that so many, varied, workplaces and individuals are signing up to host Menopause Cafes and supporting the Menopause Awareness Ribbon campaign, helping to make menopause a part of everyday conversation. Most menopausal workers are embarrassed to tell their employer if their menopause symptoms are affecting them at work, but when they see their managers wearing the Menopause Awareness Ribbon this encourages them to speak up and get the support they may need. This benefits both the individual and the organisation!”

Another Menopause Café will be held at Blend Coffee Lounge, 274 High Street, Perth from 6-7.30pm on Wednesday 6 November 2024, to which everyone is welcome. See www.menopausecafe.net for a full listing of Menopause Café events online and in person from Berlin to Barbados.

As well as making the ribbons available for sale to businesses and retail spaces, the charity has launched a social media campaign featuring videos from high-profile supporters nationwide, calling for audiences to ‘support the cause: Menopause’. Order a box of Menopause Awareness ribbons or  single ribbons from www.menopausecafe.net

ENDS