Lifting the Lid on Cancer and the Menopause

Lifting the Lid on Cancer & the Menopause

We wanted to talk about menopause and what you can do to help alleviate its symptoms. 

Hosted by the fierce and funny Lauren Mahon (GIRLvsCANCER, and host of the BBC's award-winning podcast You, Me and the Big C), we lifted the lid on what it’s really like going through the menopause in your 20s and 30s. Are you coping with hot flushes on a night out; night sweats after a first date; brain fog in a meeting; and total lack of sex drive then check out our video series of the event above. 

We were joined by a panel of renowned menopause experts: Dr. Heather Currie from The British Menopause Society and Menopause Matters; Dr. Marie Gerval from The Daisy Network; Dr. Louise Newson from My Menopause Doctor, and Samantha Evans, sex expert and founder of Jo Divine. With stories from two young women who have been throgh it themselves, it's a chance to learn from those in the know, and get your own questions answered. Let’s get real about the menopause.

Watch the webinar 

Learn More about our Amazing Line Up:

Lauren Mahon: 

Following her own breast cancer diagnosis GIRLvsCANCER founder Lauren Mahon became fed up of the perception that cancer is a disease for the over fifties Lauren decided to grab her breast cancer diagnosis by the boobs. She created a space for fierce females affected by the cretin that is cancer to feel empowered in dealing with their diagnosis. 

Her aim is to develop a community that shares its cancer experiences in an authentic and accessible way in an attempt to tackle the cancer taboo and create a better understanding of the challenges facing those diagnosed with cancer in their 20’s + 30’s. 

Dr Heather Currie, Gynaecologist at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, Scotland, specialising in Menopause, Pre Menstrual syndrome and Sub-fertility. Co- Editor of Post Reproductive Health, the Journal of the British Menopause Society (BMS), Trustee and past Chair of the BMS, Founder and Managing Director of Menopause Matters Ltd which runs the award-winning website www.menopausematters.co.uk, and publishes the award-winning Menopause Matters magazine. Author of the award-winning book, Menopause, answers at your fingertips and of many original papers and review articles in scientific journals. 

Dr. Marie Gerval

Dr Marie Gerval, Gynaecology trainee at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, London. Treats women with POI in specialist menopause clinics in the NHS, many of whom have been provided with little information or treatment options following their diagnosis and are undergoing great emotional distress. Undertaken research into factors affecting POI and menopause at Imperial College London. Trustee and past Co-Chair and of Daisynetwork, a UK registered Charity supporting women diagnosed with POI. Author and contributor of articles for scientific journals and magazines on the subject of POI.

Along with past Co-Chair Kate Maclaran and a small team of dedicated doctors run twice-monthly live chat discussions through Daisynetwork social media to answer concerns and variety of medical questions raised by members suffering from POI.

Dr. Louise Newson BSc(Hons) MBChB(Hons) MRCP FRGP 

Louise is a GP and menopause specialist; she has an Advanced Menopause Specialist certificate with FSRH and the BMS. She feels passionately about improving education about the perimenopause and menopause and also improving awareness of safe prescribing of HRT to healthcare professionals. She has written many articles, editorials and lectured extensively at numerous meetings (including the RCGP annual meeting last year) on this topic.  She has been a director for Primary Care Women’s Health Forum and an editor for the British Journal of Family Medicine.  She has developed the menopause information website www.menopausedoctor.co.uk which has been awarded a HoN code and is part of the e-learning Women’s Health section for RCGP.

Louise has worked regularly with West Midlands Police and many other large organisations to provide advice regarding menopause in the workplace. Louise has contributed to menopause-related articles in different newspapers and magazines and been on numerous radio and TV programmes.

She is the director of Newson Health Ltd (www.newsonhealth.co.uk) She is the director of a menopause and wellbeing centre in Stratford-upon-Avon where she works with numerous other GPs, nurses, a nutritionist, a pelvic floor physiotherapist and also a yoga teacher so they offer women evidence-based and holistic care for their perimenopause and menopause. This is a private clinic as there is far too little provision for menopausal women in the NHS.

She has also set up a not-for-profit company – Newson Health Research and Education – and is involved in research with colleagues in Warwick University, London School of Tropical Medicine and also Kings College London. She also is working closely with HIV charities including Sophia Forum to help menopausal women living with HIV.

Samantha Evans: 

Samantha Evans​ co-founded Jo Divine, an online sex toy company, with her husband Paul in 2007 which only sells skin safe sex toys and sexual lubricants.

Having a professional background in nursing, she is a features writer and sexual health and pleasure expert for Jo Divine. With extensive knowledge about sex toys and sexual lubricants, she enjoys creating informative, practical articles about sexual health and pleasure which endeavour to normalise sex, help people to talk about it, and discover ways to enjoy sex in whatever way they want to or are able to.

Lydia Brain: 

Lydia was diagnosed with womb cancer at 24 and was put into a chemically induced menopause during her treatment. She now writes about her experience and works in the communications team at a gynaecological cancer charity. She is a fervent advocate for breaking down shame and taboos around gynae health.

Nicky Newman: 

I was diagnosed with Secondary Breast Cancer to the bone Friday 13th April 2018, unlucky for some. It was during my first ever IVF round, after trying for children for a couple of years, that I noticed my right boob wasn’t too happy, growing lump, skin dimple, nipple inversion, you name it I had it. I was so focused on becoming a mother I didn’t take notice of what was going on. Oh, I forgot to mention I was also being treated for a ‘prolapsed disc’ (hmmmm 🧐) fast forward...after bloods, mammograms, many biopsies and scans, within 2 weeks I was told my IVF has failed, I had breast cancer, oh and it’s in every bone and I was now incurable with a much shorter life span...world...falls...apart!

Everything from that point on has been a whirlwind, that’s a lot for one hooman to take in but my god does it kick you up the arse! I have achieved more in these last 20 months than I ever thought possible, I have a whole new outlook on life, I grab it, I don’t hold back, after all, you only live once (I know it’s cheesy but it’s so true) why does it have to take something that shakes your core for you to wake up?

I shout about boobs a lot, I want everyone to know what to look out for and what to do if you come across anything that's not normal for you. I also want people to know that even with a terminal diagnosis, you can still live your best life and have a tonne of fun along the way!