University News Last updated 09 October 2018
Researchers at Birmingham City University are set to host the institution’s first ‘Menopause Café’ this month, in celebration of World Menopause Day on Thursday 18 October.
Menopause Café was founded by Rachel Weiss in Perth, Scotland, with the goal of increasing awareness about the impact of the menopause on those experiencing it, their friends, colleagues and families.
Menopause Café events are free to attend and open to all genders and ages. The events provide opportunities for people to come together over cake and coffee to talk about the menopause or to just listen.
Birmingham City University will host two Menopause Café events on Thursday 18 October at its City Centre and City South campuses.
The events have been organised through a special collaboration between two Birmingham City University-based initiatives: ‘The VQ’, a women’s sexual health impact network co-led by Dr Annalise Weckesser and Dr Keeley Abbott, and ‘Athena SWAN’, led by Dr Kate Carruthers Thomas.
“We’re really excited about holding Menopause Café events at Birmingham City University and to be part of a larger movement of addressing the stigma around the menopause”, said Dr Annalise Weckesser.
The menopause is a natural part of ageing that usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age, as a woman's oestrogen levels decline. In the UK, the average age for a woman to reach the menopause is 51.
Commons symptoms of the menopause include hot flushes, night sweats and difficulty sleeping.
The Birmingham City University Menopause Café events take place between 12pm and 2pm on Thursday 18 October, with cake and coffee provided. The events are free to attend but attendees must register in advance.
To book tickets, email annalise.weckesser@bcu.ac.uk.
‘The VQ’ previously ran a pop-up women’s sex and health shop in the Great Western Arcade and hosted Birmingham’s first feminist erotic film festival.