Perth Menopause Café got a surprise visit this week from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
She joined participants at the pop-up event held at Blend Coffee Lounge in Perth on Tuesday night.
Around 40 local people were drinking tea and talking menopause, when the First Minister arrived and joined the conversations at some of the tables.
She says she couldn’t think of a better place to have a discussion about the menopause.
“When I was growing up, I didn’t know much – if anything – about the menopause.
‘Shrouded in mystery’
“It was shrouded in mystery because women didn’t tend to talk about it.
“Now, I understand that is partly because of the stigma women face when admitting they are going through the menopause – as well as the vulnerability that comes when we start experiencing symptoms.
“I can’t think of a better place to come to have a frank and informative discussion about the menopause than a Menopause Café.
“The idea behind these fantastic events is so important as we work towards normalising these important conversations.”
The Menopause Café movement started in Perth in 2017 and has spread worldwide, with volunteers now hosting events in the UK, Bahrain, Mexico, USA, Austria and India.
The charity also organises the Flushfest festival, the world’s only festival on menopause, which is now in its fourth year.
Nicola Sturgeon also took part in this year’s online event, along with Kirsty Wark.
‘A good role model’
Rachel Weiss, found of the Menopause Café charity says: “The First Minister is a good role model by talking about her perimenopause and its effect on her working life.
“When she said she’d like to attend one of our Menopause Cafés, we were pleased that she wanted to support our work by talking about menopause.
“But when we heard she had chosen to attend the Menopause Café in Perth, where it all started, that was very exciting!”
‘A woman rather than a politician’
Rachel continues: “The First Minister joined in conversations as another perimenopausal woman, rather than as a politician.
“And she inspired us volunteers to keep holding Menopause Café and FlushFest.”
Conversation