The Shocking Inequalities in Women’s Health & the Menopause – The Happy Menopause Podcast

Season 4 • Episode 12
Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, Menopause Champion & Founder of Pausitivity

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is Embrace Equity focusing on forging equality for women and raising awareness around discrimination. And this got me thinking about the inequalities around women’s health and the menopause, because there are a lot of them. It’s still very much a man’s world and it can be hard for women to ensure their voice is heard in the health arena. In this IWD special episode, I chat to a hugely inspiring woman, who’s been campaigning around the menopause for years and who’s made a material difference to the conversation around women’s health.

Back in Season 1, I invited Elizabeth Carr-Ellis and her Pausitivity colleagues to share the work they’d been doing around raising awareness of the menopause amongst local communities. I’m thrilled that she’s back with me today for an update and to give us her insights on the ongoing challenges of managing inequality around the menopause.

Since we last spoke, Liz has continued to campaign tirelessly, and she even took the menopause to the UK parliament, addressing MPs and peers at the All Party Parliamentary Group on menopause. She’s also been named a Big Issue Changemaker for her work taking the menopause into vulnerable communities.

We discuss the postcode lottery of the menopause experience for women in the UK; the shocking truth around the majority of medical research which is based on the male experience; the heart-breaking challenges that women face as they grapple with their menopause symptoms; and the lack of support from government and some elements of the medical community around the HRT shortages.

It’s enough to make you want to get out there and (wo)man the barricades! Tune in to find out what concrete steps you can take to ensure that you receive equity around your health and the menopause.

Show Notes

Discover Liz’s blog, 50 Sense: Menopause & Midlife Made Better.

Check out Liz’s You Tube channel.

Find out more about Pausitivity and download your symptoms poster.

Follow Liz as 50 Sense on Facebook and Twitter and follow Pausitivity on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Biography

Elizabeth Carr-Ellis is the creator and co-founder of the Pausitivity KnowYourMenopause campaign. As well as creating menopause awareness resources in a variety of languages, including Urdu and a video for people with SEN, she has worked closely with the UK’s biggest foodbank and spoken about menopause awareness to prison staff and medics in Newmarket and Leeds. She was a key speaker to MPs and peers at the first APPG Menopause and has been named a Big Issue Changemaker for 2023 for her work taking menopause to vulnerable communities.

Her 50 Sense blog is packed with helpful advice and articles to support you through the menopause.

Liz is currently standing in as the  Labour Party candidate in the May 2023 local council elections for Canterbury St Stephen’s Ward.