08/03/2026
International Women’s Day always makes me reflect on how much has changed in women’s health, and how much hasn’t.
This year’s theme is ‘Give to Gain’, and the older I get, the more that makes sense, especially working in healthcare with a specific focus on menopause and female health.
For a long time, women were expected to cope with symptoms no one properly explained, in systems that were largely built around male physiology. Menopause was rarely talked about, research was limited, and many women grew up hearing that the women before them just got on with it.
What I see every day in my work is that when women are given proper information about what is happening in their bodies, something shifts. Not just physically, but mentally. The fear reduces. The self doubt reduces. The feeling that something must be wrong with them starts to lift.
That is why education matters so much.
Not because knowledge fixes everything, but because it gives women a sense of control in a stage of life that can feel very unpredictable.
We are starting to see change.
Women’s health is getting more attention in the UK, there is more research than there used to be, and conversations about menopause are happening far more openly than they ever have before.
But progress has only happened because women shared experiences, challenged what they were told, and passed knowledge on to each other.
Something I will always stand by is that supporting women should never mean offering advice that isn’t evidence-based, or encouraging them to spend money out of fear or confusion.
True empowerment should never come at the expense of another woman’s wellbeing.
When we give honesty
When we give support
When we give evidence instead of noise
When we make space for real conversations
We help other women feel less alone, less frightened, and more able to understand their own bodies.
To me, that is exactly what Give to Gain means.
And that is where real empowerment starts.
Happy International Women’s Day 🩷
