On 24 June 2025, I was invited to speak at the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Menopause, in a session focused on the experiences of LGBTQIA+ people. The event was chaired by Carolyn Harris MP and formed part of the ongoing APPG inquiry into equitable access to menopause support for historically marginalised groups.
I spoke in my capacity as a GP with a special interest in menopause and trans healthcare, a clinical academic researching perimenopause diagnosis, and a queer woman with lived experience of perimenopause. It was an honour to join fellow speakers Laura-Rose Thorogood and Helen Juffs to share evidence, insight, and lived experience.
My contribution centred around the consistent absence of tailored menopause support for LGBTQIA+ people. From the dominance of cisgender, heterosexual narratives in public information, to exclusionary healthcare language and outdated clinical protocols, our systems still fall short of serving those outside the ‘normative’ majority.
In my remarks, I called for several urgent reforms:
- Funded, inclusive NHS menopause education and clinical guidance for LGBTQIA+ people
- Reforms to NHS IT systems to enable flexible, anatomy-based screening access
- Support for grassroots LGBTQ+ health organisations already leading peer-led menopause support
- Improved access to gender-affirming care and fertility preservation for trans people
- Increased research funding into LGBTQIA+ menopause experiences — especially for underrepresented groups such as intersex, disabled, and global majority individuals
As someone who contributed to the Rainbow Menopause film, I also reflected on how difficult it remains for LGBTQIA+ individuals to share their stories publicly — not due to lack of insight or willingness, but fear. The current political climate in the UK has become increasingly hostile toward trans and queer people, and this was acknowledged in our discussion.
Despite this, the APPG meeting was a hopeful space. I felt heard and the atmosphere was one of mutual respect. Thank you again to Carolyn Harris MP and the Wellbeing of Women team for convening such an important conversation.