October is Menopause Awareness Month, and World Menopause Day falls on 18 October. This four-part series is about making noise around menopause, so let’s start with the simplest question: why does sharing menopause information matter, and how do we actually do it?

Why does menopause awareness matter?

It touches almost everyone. One recent documentary describes menopause as a phase of life that half the world’s population goes through, yet we know surprisingly little about it (Menopause Mystery, Louise Unmack Kjeldsen). Even if you never experience it yourself, someone you love, work with or manage will.

Silence makes it harder. Workplace guidance from the Cross-Government Menopause Network notes that many women go through symptoms in silence, worried about how colleagues will judge their competence. Meanwhile, symptoms are too often misdiagnosed or dismissed as stress or lifestyle (NHS Employers).

It’s not only about the person going through it. Partners, colleagues and line managers are affected too, and a little understanding goes a long way.

Can talking about menopause really change anything?

It can, as part of the Menopause Mandate, Kate alongside many other women’s health advocates, practitioners and politicians have helped to campaign for changes that started with people simply speaking up:

• The HRT Prepayment Certificate
• A free menopause helpline with Holland & Barrett:
• Menopause information in the NHS Health Check for women over 40 (Read more here: https://www.menopausemandate.com/)

Each of these began with conversations like the ones this series is encouraging. Awareness isn’t just talk; it’s how policy, healthcare and workplaces change.

How can I spread menopause awareness?

• Make a pledge. Small and specific works best (ideas below).
• Watch, then talk. A film or documentary is an easy way into a conversation.
• Share reliable sources. Send one trusted link instead of a forwarded rumour.
• Start the conversation at work. Use the toolkits below to open the door.
• Check in. A simple “how are you finding things?” can mean a lot

Menopause awareness pledge ideas

• I pledge to learn the difference between perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause.
• I pledge to share one reliable resource with a friend, family member or colleague this month.
• I pledge to book a check-up or talk to my GP if I’ve been putting it off. (Inspired by the IMS Society)

Write yours down, share it, and invite others to make their own. Download the OYM printable pledge cards and reshare them on your social media.

Menopause documentaries and talks worth watching:

These can be good conversation starters, but they reflect their makers’ views, so treat medical claims as a prompt to ask your own clinician.

My Cinema Clinic is launching its first event screening with My Cinema Clinic: Menopause, a 60-minute myth-busting documentary that brings you the latest scientific and holistic research on perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause. Bring your friends and make an evening of it.

• Menopause Mystery (2026): a personal, investigative documentary of about 74 minutes from director Louise Unmack Kjeldsen. She describes struggling with insomnia and depression without connecting it to menopause, then travelling to talk to women around the world.
• Balance: A Perimenopause Journey (2026): a four-part docuseries following two Jain monks seeking help for worsening perimenopause symptoms. It’s available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.
• TED talk: The link between menopause and gender inequity at work
• Davina McCall: Sex, Mind and the Menopause (Channel 4, 2022): the presenter investigates how menopause affects the mind as well as the body, including brain fog and memory loss at work, and the latest advances in hormone therapy.

Menopause books and trusted resources:

• Owning Your Menopause: Fitter, Calmer, Stronger in 30 Days: a practical life manual by Kate Rowe-Ham
• The Longevity Solution: a 21-day, habit-focused guide to building sustainable lifestyle changes for long-term health and vitality by Kate Rowe-Ham
• Menopause Info: reliable information on menopause and midlife women’s health from leading experts.
• Related post: What Is Frozen Shoulder? Symptoms, Causes and the Menopause Connection
• The Natural Menopause Method: The revised and updated nutritional self-help guide to perimenopause and more by Karen Newby
• The Menopause Brain by Dr. Lisa Mosconi
• NHS Website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause-and-perimenopause/things-you-can-do/

Menopause at work: guidance for employees and managers

• Guidance on menopause to support organisations to improve the way it is addressed at work.
• Research and reports on the gov.uk website for instance this report.
• The Self-Care forum have a Menopause self-care aware fact sheet.

This October, start one conversation: it might be the one that helps someone feel seen, heard and a little less alone.

Sources:

“Menopause & NHS Health Check 2026 Changes | Spital Clinic London.” Spitalclinic.Com, 2026, https://www.spitalclinic.com/articles/menopause-nhs-health-check-2026-changes. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

“Menopause Mandate.” Menopause Mandate, https://www.menopausemandate.com/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

“Online Events – International Menopause Society.” International Menopause Society, 2 Nov. 2020, https://www.imsociety.org/education/webinars/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

Rowe-Ham, Kate. The Longevity Solution. Hachette, 12 Feb. 2026.