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GPs to send women for period course via social prescribing

GPs to send women for period course via social prescribing

GPs will be asked to use social prescribing to send women on a course to learn about their periods.

The Menstrual Cycle Support Course was announced at an event in the House of Lords this week, alongside an intention to launch an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on menstrual health.

The course consists of a free multimedia programme that aims to reduce menstrual suffering, long diagnosis times, and improve GP appointments, its founders said.

Via the course, participants are supported to create a three-month cycle chart to ‘improve GP appointments and increase menstrual literacy, as well as join a community for peer support’, they added.

It was developed by Cornwall-based Menstrual Cycle Support, and follows a pilot in GP surgeries across Cornwall last year.

The Government’s public survey informing its Women’s Health Strategy found only 17% of respondents felt that they had enough information on menstrual wellbeing, while just 8% of respondents felt that they had access to enough information on gynaecological conditions such as endometriosis.

The Government’s newly appointed Women’s Health Ambassador, Professor Dame Lesley Regan, said: ‘This new course builds on the ambitions set out in our Women’s Health Strategy to ensure women have access to accurate information about their health and are empowered to seek help if they need to – whether that’s from healthcare professionals, their employer or their family and friends.’

President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Dr Edward Morris said: ‘We know that many women suffer with physical and mental symptoms during their menstrual cycle, such as pain, heavy menstrual bleeding, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

‘The stigma surrounding periods also often acts as a barrier to them accessing support. The Menstrual Cycle Support course is a vital step to increase the availability of reliable, accurate information about
periods to women and girls.’

Menstrual Cycle Support founder Kate Shepherd Cohen said: ‘Too many people have suffered with their menstrual cycles for too long.

‘Today, I am Day 21. This simple understanding about where we are in our cycle, the unique energy and insights that each day can bring, has helped relieve my own and so many people’s menstrual suffering. This understanding lies at the heart of the Menstrual Cycle Support Course.’

The news comes as the APPG on menopause today released a report which called for all women to be screened for menopause symptoms via health checks at age 45.

The APPG also recommended that menopause indicators are added to the QOF, so that GPs performance can be measured.


          

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READERS' COMMENTS [2]

Please note, only GPs are permitted to add comments to articles

Truth Finder 13 October, 2022 10:08 am

How insulting and cheapskate.

Patrufini Duffy 13 October, 2022 1:27 pm

Wouldn’t even bother giving Kate airtime. She is seeing dollar signs. That’s all. Lucky for her she got a procurement. She wouldn’t exist without menstruation, so stop villifying “it”.
https://www.kateshepherdcohen.com/about