Non-profit to address gaps in women’s health education

A newly launched non-profit seeks to address gaps in health education by providing free access to evidence-based resources on women’s health.

Calling out the stigma surrounding negative associations connected to the phrase “being hormonal”, Hormonally aims to highlight the vital role hormones play in women’s health and wellbeing throughout the lifespan.

The digital platform sets the record straight on a variety of topics including PMS, pregnancy, menopause, hormones and mental health, endometriosis, fibroids, and conditions such as PCOS.

Replacing medical jargon with accessible content, the non-profit’s information has been designed to encourage readers from all backgrounds to be curious and learn more about their hormones.

“Hormonally isn’t just another website – it’s a campaigning movement dedicated to breaking down the barriers women face every day trying to understand their mental, physical, and emotional health,” said executive director, Lauren Redfern.

“We want to create a safe space where open conversations are encouraged, and trustworthy information is accessible to everyone.”

Redfern’s own health struggles and academic research into hormones helped her realise how complex the “hormonal battleground” is for every woman.

She said her PhD, during which she explored women’s experiences of using testosterone as part of their treatment for menopause and heard countless accounts of women having their symptoms dismissed or written off as mental health problems, inspired her to create Hormonally.

“We recognise that while you cannot address systemic barriers or change healthcare systems overnight, you can give women the tools they need to engage in informed shared decision-making when seeking care,” Dr Redfern explained.

“Fighting misinformation about women’s hormones and explaining what hormones are and how women can seek support helps to address the prevalence of medical misinformation, particularly on social media, that places women at risk.”

Kate Muir, author of Everything You Need to Know About the Menopause (and were too afraid to ask) and the producer of the documentaries Sex, Myths and the Menopause and Pill Revolution, said: “For too long women have been gaslit about the effect of their hormones on their bodies and their brains, and Hormonally is reclaiming that space at last.

“Once we start looking at our health through hormonal glasses, from puberty to perimenopause and on, we see what a profound effect hormones have, and how little research there is in so many areas.”