Menopause Cafe
Case study
Menopause Cafés are pop-up events, run by volunteers in cafes and in workplaces, where people, often strangers, meet to drink tea, eat cake and talk about the menopause.
Menopause Cafes are inclusive events, open to anyone interested in the menopause: all genders and all ages.
The first Menopause Café was held in Perth in June 2017. It is now a registered charity, with Kirsty Wark as patron.
In 2018 and 2019 the charity also hosted the world’s only Menopause Festival, with a variety of speakers and creative workshops. #FlushFest
Our aim is to increase awareness of the impact of the menopause on those experiencing it, their friends, colleagues and families, so that we can make conscious choices about the third stage of life.
“Break the taboo and have some fun” is our #FlushFest motto, we start conversations about menopause symptoms, reasonable adjustments at work, gendered ageism, what it means to be an older women, and whatever other aspects of menopause are of interest to the participants.
Menopause Cafes do not have speakers, so we don’t give information or advice there. They are spaces for conversations, designed to empower people to ask questions, share tips and learn for themselves.
The Menopause Festival does feature speakers giving information, sharing case studies eg about menopause-aware and supportive workplaces, about medical aspects of menopause. You can see the programme of #FlushFest2019 here:
Menopause affects half the population directly and the other half indirectly. It affects more people than pregnancy yet is surrounded by silence and lack of information. We aim to change this by starting conversations about the menopause.
178 Menopause Cafes have been hosted by volunteers in all four nations of the UK and one in Canada. We are keen to encourage more Menopause Cafes outside the UK, Scotland leading the way worldwide!
The 47 Menopause Cafes held in Scotland include 6 “Menopause Café at Work” run for employees at ScotGov , one for the Scottish Public Pensions Agency in Tweedbank, 4 public events in Edinburgh and one in Glasgow.
Total attendance figures are 1659: 1625 were female and 34 (2%) male, ages ranged from 18 -81.
Feedback from Menopause Cafes includes:
I headed homewards feeling more positive and buoyed by the entire experience. What an amazing group of women. The sheer energy in the room this evening showed that we are all far from a spent force and in fact, quite the contrary.
Huge impact on my mental well-being. Coming to the café meeting ladies going through this, being able to laugh after years of tears, a priceless feeling being happy with menopause. Thank you
It’s nice to feel normal
Very helpful to meet and hear other women with similar stories – not feel alone or that I’m going mad.
The first time I’ve spoken to anyone else other than my husband.
Menopause Festival 2019 had 120 participants attending film, comedy, speakers and workshops in Perth on April 26 – 27th 2019. It featured on STV News and in the Daily Mail, so the influence of our event was felt far beyond the people physically present – spreading the word that everyone needs to know about the menopause: old and young, male and female.
- Attend a Menopause Café event near you, see our calendar for details.
- Volunteer to host a pop-up Menopause Café in your local café or workplace. Read our guidelines for how to do so.
- Donate: we are a charity entirely run by volunteers, juggling Menopause Café work with their other work and family commitments, so we appreciate any support you can give us, whether in time, expertise or money.
- Sign up to our bi-monthly newsletter
@Menopause_Cafe on Twitter and Instagram