Menstrual Cycle Support "crucial", says Women's Health Ambassador
Dame Lesley Regan
Women's Health Ambassador (England) says:
"Poor menstrual health is preventable and this new approach is a crucial step towards empowering girls and young women with the information they need to advocate for their own health and wellbeing.”
Pioneering menstrual health & education
Menstrual Cycle Support's mission is to ease menstrual suffering through menstrual education. Our clinically-backed, menstrual health digital courses are the first globally to be available through GPs on social prescription.
Menstrual Education - for all
Trusted. Accessible. Relatable
We believe in universal menstrual education to support society to better manage period pain and alleviate (and mitigate) a lifetime of menstrual suffering. Our free course on social prescription for adults is available in over 500 GP surgeries in the UK (self-referral also available). Our new course for teens launched at the House of Commons (March 2024) and is available in schools and surgeries across the UK.
We work with established UK referral pathways
Primary, secondary & allied health care
Healthcare (and HR) professionals can confidently recommend our service and those with a menstrual cycle can self-refer any time to our trusted support.
NHS-Approved Menstrual Health Research
We are working with an NHS-Approved research methodology, within a strict data ethics framework, to deliver and publish much-needed menstrual health research to help end health inequalities and close the gender pain gap.
Kate calls herself a 'menstrualist' and the global menstrual movement, 'menstrualism'
Kate Shepherd Cohen - Founder & CEO
Multi award winning menstrual health pioneer
After struggling with her own cycle and finding the simple practice of 'menstrual cycle awareness' helped ease her suffering, she committed to putting her energy and skills into innovating mainstream menstrual healthcare so that patients could easily receive the same supportive information alongside any medical treatment and investigations.
During the pandemic, Kate ran a non-clinical menstrual cycle support live online course for patients on social prescription from one GP surgery in Cornwall (St Austell) - was inundated with requests to join from across the county, so felt compelled to create an online self-paced version, making it available on social prescription through every GP surgery in Cornwall (2021). She was awarded Innovator of the Year for the initiative at the International Social Prescribing Awards, with calls from women and healthcare professionals across the UK (and beyond) to roll it out to surgeries across the country.
Menstrual Cycle Support was launched as a health tech organisation at the House of Lords in October 2022, with a first-of-its-kind menstrual health on UK-wide social prescription: peer-reviewed, clinically backed and evidence-informed eLearning course for adults, rolled out to now over 500 GP surgeries across the UK.
In March 2024, we launched our course for teens in the House of Commons, in partnership with leading menstrual health charity Endometriosis UK and schools from across the UK, with the Women's Health Ambassador praising our service as "crucial".
Kate is on LinkedIN
Watch Kate's TedX talk - Period Problems: why there's hope
The Power of Partnerships
We believe collaboration is key
We're working in partnership with Primary Care Networks, academic institutions, leading menstrual health charities, schools and young people from across the UK.
We're open to partnerships - please contact us.
Meet the rest of the team
Rosaria Marraffino
Instructional DesignFor the last decade Rosaria has helped international organisations to imagine and develop meaningful learning experiences. Clients have including CERN, Geneva University Hospitals, HUG, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois, CHUV, University Hospital Zurich, USZ, Institut de Radiophysique, IRA. She's currently completing her MSc in Learning and Teaching Technologies (MALTT) at the University of Geneva. www.rosariamarraffino.com
Neelam Heera
Equality Diversity Inclusivity ConsultantNeelam Heera is the CEO of Cysters charity and a campaigner for improved menstrual health in marginalised communities. She founded Cysters after facing her own battles around diagnosis and care for PCOS, Endometriosis and PMDD. She saw first-hand the disparities in healthcare for people of colour and other marginalized groups, thus Cysters was born. www.cysters.org
Gani Naylor
Film & FacilitationGani is an international creative facilitator and filmmaker specialising in short form online content, using a variety of art forms to create a safe space for connection, self expression and community empowerment. He's worked on a number of initiatives that explore trauma, social connection and reducing isolation and depression. www.ganinaylor.com
Humie Webb
EDI ConsultantHumie Webb is an award-winning EDI practitioner working with Welsh gov funded health and social care-based projects & issue-based youth work in schools & community settings. She contributed to Unite the Union's response to the Welsh Gov's Period Dignity Strategic Action Plan and works closely with the Trade Union Congress to deliver its Black Activist and Women Activist Development Plan.
Emily Stewart
Clinical Content ConsultantEmily Stewart is a primary healthcare nurse and one of the UK's leading menstrual cycle educators. She is founder of The Real Period Project CIC and has worked with young people, parents, teachers, school nurses and youth workers, promoting period friendly practices in schools, universities and homes since 2016. She brings a brilliant combination of clinical practice and menstrual education to our team.
Kathryn Pratt
Education ConsultantKathryn Pratt BSC MSc PGCE is an educational consultant specialising in adolescent and primary education. She is founder of Soweni, a social enterprise project that reimagines education with a focus on personalised learning pathways to address individual learning needs and preferences.
Trudi Holden
Community & Group Facilitation Consultant (Teen Support Group Toolkit)Trudi Holden is a natural health therapist and experienced facilitator of women's circles, with a focus on sharing menstrual cycle stories. She is a shamanic womb healer, reiki master and trauma-informed women's massage therapist and founder of Wild Samsara.
Clinical and Research Advisory Board
Dr Stewart Smith
Senior Partner GP (Primary care social prescribing specialist)Under the care of Dr Stewart Smith, St Austell Healthcare was an early adopter of social prescribing, which has now become available in every UK GP surgery and grown to become an international movement. Menstrual Cycle Support ran our pilot programme with St Austell Healthcare patients in 2021.
Kate Williamson
Osteopath (allied health professions) & Healthcare Outreach ConsultantKate Williamson provides consultancy for our Healthcare Outreach Campaign and is a Registered Osteopath with nearly twenty years' experience and a particular interest in working with those experiencing chronic pain. A strong feminist and a mother to teenage girls, she has always had an interest in women's health, not just within her clinical setting.
Michael Dooley
NHS Consultant Gynaecologist (secondary care), Fellow of the RCOGMichael provides an integrated patient-centred approach to women’s healthcare offering the most appropriate evidence-based choice of conventional and complementary treatments to address the patients’ wishes, beliefs and needs.
He leads on Women's Health for the College of Medicine and Integrated Health.
Amy McKeown
Mental Health StrategistA pioneer for Women’s Health and activist for women's rights in the workplace (currently campaigning to change the Equality Act 2010), Amy is an award-winning mental health and women's wellbeing strategist. She has spent 20 years helping organisations to implement evidence-based, measurable and sustainable mental health programmes, including global strategies for FTSE 100s. In 2021, she set up the first digital conference combining Women's Health, Mental Health and Business. She holds MSc distinction in Health Informatics and is an Honorary Research Assistant at UCL. www.amymckeown.com
Dr Helena Tucker
Clinical PsychologistDr Helena Tucker brings a wealth of clinical experience and specialism in premenstrual difficulties, as well as a lived experience of PMDD. Alongside her clinical work she runs a coaching business that specifically supports entrepreneurs experiencing PMS & PMDD using scientifically backed psychological methods.
Dr Gemma Sharp
Associate Professor of Reproductive & Mental Health EpidemiologyDr Gemma Sharp is a specialist in women's mental and reproductive health and early life influences on health and wellbeing, currently based in the School of Psychology at the University of Exeter where she teaches undergraduate, postgraduate and CPD courses in molecular epidemiology and reproductive health. She is founder of the Menarche, Menstruation, Menopause & Mental Health (4M) Consortium, (University of Bristol, Bath, Cardiff and Exeter) and holds an honorary position at the University of Bristol MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit.
Advisory Board
James Harrison
Tech EntrepreneurJames is a tech entrepreneur and seasoned tech executive who has built 2 companies from inception to exit. He has >11 years CEO and board experience leading global VC backed companies. James is passionate about fighting climate change and equality.
Clare Shephard
Tech CommunicationsClare has worked in the PR industry for 25+ years, and now specialises in coaching ambitious brands on how to define, develop and amplify their stories.
Dr Richard Pratt
GP and Health Tech SpecialistRich is a GP in Cornwall with a background in digital health. He’s been focused over the last 8 years on the deceptively simple question - how can we use tech to improve the quality of conversations with healthcare providers? This has led him to his current roles of Clinical Director at Eva Health Technologies and Primary Care Lead at ORCHA.
Thomas Podkolinski
EntrepreneurSerial entrepreneur, award winning designer, and company executive, with nearly 20 years’ experience in successfully starting, developing and commercialising projects within a range of different sectors. Has a profound passion for natural history, technology, and philosophy, with positive environmental and human change a founding principle in every venture.
Simon Cohen
Brand & CommunicationsSimon is a peace activist, keynote speaker and communications specialist. Simon has managed the communications for world leaders, charities and other social impact groups around the world. Simon is on the Faculty of The Amani Institute, Vice President of the Mattie Stepanek Peace Foundation, and Global Brain Trust for Boma. He is passionate about women’s rights and the role of women and girls to help heal our world. https://mrsimoncohen.com/
Jennifer Parkin
Systemic Change SpecialistJen works with groups of people from a range of communities and organisations, helping them to work together to solve deep rooted systemic issues. Jen draws from systems thinking and group dynamics theory to facilitate experiential group work that shifts both personal mindset and collectively held beliefs. Jen believes that systems can consciously and intentionally change and she holds the space for this to happen.
Clinical and Professional Input
With thanks to all of those that input into Menstrual Cycle Support, including Leading Menstrual Health Researcher, Dr Sally King; Period Positive Founder and Menstrual Literacy Expert, Chella Quint, Advanced Clinical Practitioner Gynaecology & Specialist Advisor to Endometriosis-UK, Joanne Hanley; Alexandra Pope & Sjanie Hugo-Wurlilzer, co-Founders Red School, Annie Bosnall, NHS Occupational Therapist; Sarah Hinds, Counsellor; Dr Natalie Chong, GP; Dr Lucy Matthews, GP.
And many more clinicians and professionals in the field of menstrual health and wellbeing that have contributed.
Finally, thank you to all course participants for their invaluable input and feedback, who help improve menstrual cycle support.
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