Menopause Café will offer local people advice and peer support

A Menopause Café will be held on Saturday 5 November at Ulverston Methodist Church between 11am and 1pm.

The event has been set up as an open, respectful and confidential space where anyone who wishes to talk about menopause can come along and discuss their thoughts, concerns and experiences - this could be an individual who is going through perimenopause or menopause, their family, carers or friends.

The café is open to all genders and all ages. Refreshments will be available on the day and participants are asked to contribute to the cost.  

The event is supported by Mid Furness Integrated Care Community and will be facilitated by Dr Alison Johnston from Ulverston Community Health Centre.

Dr Alison Johnston said: “A Menopause Café is a discussion with no pre-set agenda, where topics are chosen by participants on the day. The aim of the café is to give people living with menopause a safe place where they can share their experience in a supportive and non-judgemental environment.”

The Ulverston Menopause Café will be held at Ulverston Methodist Church, in the Blackburn Room, 22 Neville Street, Ulverston, LA12 0BL.

Menopause Café is a national initiative founded by Rachel Weiss. The first café was held in Perth, Scotland in 2017. You can find out more about Menopause Café here https://www.menopausecafe.net/our-history/ 

What is the menopause?

The menopause is when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels. This usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55.
It can sometimes happen earlier naturally or for reasons such as surgery to remove the ovaries or the uterus; cancer treatments like chemotherapy, or a genetic reason. Sometimes the reason is unknown.

Perimenopause is when you have symptoms before your periods have stopped. You reach menopause when you have not had a period for 12 months.

Menopause and perimenopause can cause symptoms like anxiety, mood swings, brain fog, hot flushes and irregular periods. These symptoms can start years before your periods stop and carry on afterwards.

Menopause and perimenopause symptoms can have a big impact on your life, including relationships at work.

There are things you can do to help with symptoms. There are also medicines that can replace the missing hormones and help relieve your symptoms. You can find out more about the menopause treatments and support here.