[LeatherTrumpet]

• Women' and 'woman' quietly omitted from NHS' advice about the menopause
• Online guidance used to refer to women six times in overview about condition
• Comes amid row about gender-neutral terms overcomplicating health advice

The NHS has ditched the terms 'women' and 'woman' from its menopause
guidance, despite ministers promising to crackdown on woke gender-free
language in medical advice.

Last month, MailOnline revealed how NHS Digital had quietly scrubbed all
mention of women from its landing pages for ovarian, womb and cervical
cancer.



But the new version omits women from the overview entirely. Experts have
warned women could be disadvantaged by de-gendered medical advice
confusing health messaging
Sajid Javid said he is prepared to wage war against gender-free language
after he demanded the NHS stop dropping the word 'women' from its online
health advice.

The minister has repeatedly said he does not agree with the health service
removing the word from its ovarian cancer guidance webpage.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...AUSE-page.html

[Mystic Mock]

Medically speaking isn't this a bit reckless to be doing?

[Kate!]

Ffs.

[Zizu]

Yikes does that mean us guys can suffer from it now !!!




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[hijaxers]

Originally Posted by Mystic Mock

Medically speaking isn't this a bit reckless to be doing?

I thought the NHS were told to put 'woman' back onto leaflets ?

[The Slim Reaper]

I mean, the text specifically mentions ovaries and periods. Not sure who might read this and be unaware of whether or not it applies to them. It uses more inclusive language for the public which is not really a big deal.

This is the NHS page regarding their workplace pledge to support their own staff suffering through it.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/blog/nhs-...kplace-pledge/

NHS England signs Menopause Workplace Pledge.

We are delighted that NHS England has signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge in a move that demonstrates a commitment to ensuring employees experiencing the menopause feel well informed and supported while at work.

The menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 but can also occur in younger women. It happens when the ovaries run out of eggs and the hormones oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone fall. The perimenopause is the time before the menopause when hormone levels start to decline and symptoms start.

Perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms can last many years and even decades for some women. These symptoms can include hot flushes, anxiety, insomnia, problems with concentration and memory, fatigue, headaches, muscle and joint pains, urinary symptoms and low mood.

For many women these are debilitating symptoms that adversely affect their daily life, work, relationships and also their future health as menopausal women have a greater risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, clinical depression and dementia.

While the menopause isn’t often talked about at work, it’s where people can find their symptoms most difficult to manage. And with women making up around 75% of NHS staff, it is crucial that action is taken to support employees and encourage open and respectful conversations about the menopause.

For far too long, the perimenopause and menopause have been shrouded in taboo, and as a consequence many women are left struggling with debilitating symptoms on their own.

Research has shown that 10% of women leave their jobs and many more are reducing their hours or passing up promotions because of their menopausal symptoms.

It is very important that the NHS takes action now in order to retain their extraordinary and committed staff. Making workplaces supportive when it comes to the perimenopause and menopause can help employees’ wellbeing and also ensure an inclusive workforce.

Employees of all ages and genders need to be well informed about the perimenopause and menopause and how it could affect their colleagues, and able to signpost to both internal and external support and resources.

The same applies for family and friends outside of the workplace, as the perimenopause and menopause can often have a significant impact on relationships and home life.

Last year, NHS England published an internal menopause policy which includes specific guidance on how line managers can support their staff experiencing the menopause, whether that’s allowing flexible or home-based working or making changes to the work environment, such as making the temperature cooler or ensuring easy access to cold water and bathroom facilities. Just as important is the need to normalise conversations about menopause support in the workplace.

Signing the Menopause Workplace Pledge is the next step in NHS England becoming a more supportive organisation. Led by the charity Wellbeing of Women, the campaign is drumming up support from all employers across all sectors up and down the country, and we are thrilled to be a part of transforming the conversation around menopause.

It is important to ensure that current and future generations of women feel comfortable, confident and supported as they approach and experience the menopause. They also all need access to the right advice and treatment from healthcare professionals.

[LeatherTrumpet]

Let's focus on this page

Thanks

[Toy Soldier]

Hmmmm I’m against the erasure of gendered language in medical writing, it’s a very real issue BUT…

In this case the shift is a completely different writing style from third person “when a woman…” to the second person; “when you…”.

If that’s a general shift in their writing style of these ages to me sue them more personable/conversational and less medical/formal, then it’s not the same thing.

I’d feel differently if it had been changed to “a person” or “an individual” etc.

Maybe it’s their way of going under the radar

[UserSince2005]

Good because we all know the super women don’t menstrate

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by The Slim Reaper

I mean, the text specifically mentions ovaries and periods. Not sure who might read this and be unaware of whether or not it applies to them. It uses more inclusive language for the public which is not really a big deal.

This is the NHS page regarding their workplace pledge to support their own staff suffering through it.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/blog/nhs-...kplace-pledge/

NHS England signs Menopause Workplace Pledge.

We are delighted that NHS England has signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge in a move that demonstrates a commitment to ensuring employees experiencing the menopause feel well informed and supported while at work.

The menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 but can also occur in younger women. It happens when the ovaries run out of eggs and the hormones oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone fall. The perimenopause is the time before the menopause when hormone levels start to decline and symptoms start.

Perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms can last many years and even decades for some women. These symptoms can include hot flushes, anxiety, insomnia, problems with concentration and memory, fatigue, headaches, muscle and joint pains, urinary symptoms and low mood.

For many women these are debilitating symptoms that adversely affect their daily life, work, relationships and also their future health as menopausal women have a greater risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, clinical depression and dementia.

While the menopause isn’t often talked about at work, it’s where people can find their symptoms most difficult to manage. And with women making up around 75% of NHS staff, it is crucial that action is taken to support employees and encourage open and respectful conversations about the menopause.

For far too long, the perimenopause and menopause have been shrouded in taboo, and as a consequence many women are left struggling with debilitating symptoms on their own.

Research has shown that 10% of women leave their jobs and many more are reducing their hours or passing up promotions because of their menopausal symptoms.

It is very important that the NHS takes action now in order to retain their extraordinary and committed staff. Making workplaces supportive when it comes to the perimenopause and menopause can help employees’ wellbeing and also ensure an inclusive workforce.

Employees of all ages and genders need to be well informed about the perimenopause and menopause and how it could affect their colleagues, and able to signpost to both internal and external support and resources.

The same applies for family and friends outside of the workplace, as the perimenopause and menopause can often have a significant impact on relationships and home life.

Last year, NHS England published an internal menopause policy which includes specific guidance on how line managers can support their staff experiencing the menopause, whether that’s allowing flexible or home-based working or making changes to the work environment, such as making the temperature cooler or ensuring easy access to cold water and bathroom facilities. Just as important is the need to normalise conversations about menopause support in the workplace.

Signing the Menopause Workplace Pledge is the next step in NHS England becoming a more supportive organisation. Led by the charity Wellbeing of Women, the campaign is drumming up support from all employers across all sectors up and down the country, and we are thrilled to be a part of transforming the conversation around menopause.

It is important to ensure that current and future generations of women feel comfortable, confident and supported as they approach and experience the menopause. They also all need access to the right advice and treatment from healthcare professionals.

Thanks for the article.

At least it's not as extreme as it first looked.

[Liam-]

So they’re not getting rid of the words woman or women and it’s just another click bait, hate mongering article by a right wing cesspit, who’s owner is coincidentally friends with the Tories who have tried for the past decade to plant mistrust of the nhs into the public’s mind, so that they can continue to further privatise it however they wish? I for one, am incredibly shocked I tell you, shook to the core!!

[bitontheslide]

The topic of the article is menopause, so at that point there is no need for it to refer to a woman in every sentence. I think in this case it is a genuine language simplification


If you were looking at a car manual, on the topic of seatbelts, you wouldnt expect to read "car seatbelts" in every sentence, you would see simply "seatbelts"

[Toy Soldier]

It’s simpler than that even, they’ve turned it into 2nd person language directed at the reader and they’re not Jaqen h’ghar. There’s no place for the subject noun “woman” as it’s now the subject pronouns you/your.

It MAY be their way around the issue of being inclusive without language erasure but, if it’s the same on other information pages about non-gendered conditions too, then I’d say it’s just them de-medicalising the information pages and making them person-centred.

Again though that’s not to say that language erasure isn’t happening in the NHS but it usually takes the form of things like “people with uteruses” or “individuals who have periods” - which they need to move away from because the language has to be accessible, e.g. to people with lower literacy levels and people whose first language is not English.

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by The Slim Reaper

I mean, the text specifically mentions ovaries and periods. Not sure who might read this and be unaware of whether or not it applies to them. It uses more inclusive language for the public which is not really a big deal.

Well sure, it goes without saying it refers to women as no-one else can have ovaries and periods.

But yeah as TS said, even if the change of wording was to make it more inclusive for the trans-identified, changing to second person is better than acting like "people" in general can apply to the text.

[ThomasC]

No issue with article at all.

It's a non story on this particular case.