Join the Menopause Revolution

The {Menopause Revolution} is now! Shrouded in stigma, it’s time to change how society views the {menopause}. We’re aiming to trigger a shift in the way that the UK treats this natural transition by raising awareness, evolving Cult Beauty’s internal policies and supporting ground-breaking legislation to make symptom-easing treatment more accessible.

Cast your mind back to high school biology, chances are that your lessons on menstruation had one glaring omission: the menopause. You can’t have one without the other and yet it’s so often brushed under the carpet or treated as an afterthought.

Throughout Menopause Awareness Month and beyond, we’ll be educating our company and community, implementing policy to support those going through the menopause in the workplace, and joining forces with Carolyn Harris MP to lobby the government to make hormone replacement therapy free of NHS charges in England, to mirror the experience of those in Scotland and Wales where it’s free.

But first, definitions: the menopause is the biological stage in which the menstrual cycle ceases and it is marked by 12 consecutive months of no menstruation.

The perimenopause can start years before this point and the fluctuations in the level of the estrogen hormone during this stage can cause intense symptoms (think: hot flashes, anxiety and brain fog).

Post-menopause is the stage starting 12 months and one day since your last period. It can see these symptoms ease over time but the reduced estrogen levels can increase the risk of long-term health conditions like osteoporosis and heart disease.

We know we have a lot to learn, that’s why every member of our Cult Concierge customer team will be trained by menopause expert Dr Shahzadi Harper, so they are equipped with the knowledge they need to provide beauty advice to people going through the menopause — a vital service that no other retailer in the UK currently offers.

What’s more, we hope to spark change in our own company and others by introducing a ‘Reproductive Lifecycle’ policy that recognises the impact that the menopause can have on day-to-day life (figures show that three out of four people experience symptoms, while one in four can experience severe symptoms) and offers relevant support. With over a third of workers feeling too embarrassed to discuss the menopause with their employers, having an open and honest work environment is the first step to managing the effects of the menopause.

To further the spirit of education, we’ll be hosting a live podcast event in London with Lorraine Candy and Trish Halpin, hosts of ‘Postcards from Midlife’: a show seeking to change society’s outdated menopause narrative. Our community will be invited to join as Alexia Inge, our Co-founder and Co-CEO, Dr Shahzadi Harper and Carolyn Harris MP discuss the realities of the menopause. Get your tickets {here}!

As well as campaigning for free HRT with immediate effect, and urging parliament to vote, we ask the rest of the nation and businesses across the UK to join us in normalising the conversation and implementing long-term change in society too. Join the Menopause Revolution and sign the {petition} now.