Based on the respect of women’s autonomy, rights, and knowledge of their bodies, “Ménosecours: bien préparer, bien vivre sa ménopause” promotes a positive image of menopause and employs a prevention approach to this stage of life.
MENOSECOURS: AN APPROACH THAT RESPECTS WOMEN
Access to information is one thing. Knowing you’re well informed and able to make enlightened decisions is another. Although it is a natural phenomenon, menopause is still widely misunderstood. Women have numerous questions, many are very anxious about what awaits them in this stage of their lives, but the glut of information, multitude of sources, frequent contradictory statements and challenges to research findings, can leave women confused. The Réseau québécois d’action pour la santé des femmes (RQASF) is convinced that they are.
Confusion shakes some women’s confidence about their ability to understand and make good choices. It can even negatively impact their self-esteem. Yet, aren’t women the ones best placed to know their needs according to their own reality?
It was this conviction that led to the creation of Ménosecours : bien préparer, bien vivre sa ménopause, a result of over 10 years of continuous research. Produced by women, for women, we hope women will use it to get answers to their questions and tools to help them, pursue their learning, and demystify several well-entrenched myths and take action.
I’m the expert on my own health. I know how I’m feeling. I know my energy level. I know what motivates and what discourages me. I know what I like. I can think of a situation in the past where my intuition helped me and my judgment was good. I know better than anyone what my strengths and limitations are. I’m the one most affected by my choices and actions.
A RECOGNIZED APPROACH
In 2006, the RQASF received an award of excellence from the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services (ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux du Québec) in the category of health prevention, promotion, and wellness for its important reference tool on menopause entitled “Notre soupe aux cailloux : Une œuvre collective pour la santé des femmes” (a toolkit to promote the health of women in midlife). Over the years, the RQASF produced updates and several adaptations addressed to the general public including 6 information pamphlets to help menopausal women make informed choices. Listed below, these pamphlets, in the form of health information capsules, are the basis of the website Ménosecours:
- Physical Activity
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Cancers of the Breast and Reproductive Organs
- Hormone Treatment
- Osteoporosis
- Sexuality
WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN DO EVEN MORE
Because of the elimination of Health Canada’s Women’s Health Contribution Program, the RQASF will lose 70% of its funding on April 1, 2013. Many of its projects will be affected by this decision, including Ménosecours: bien préparer, bien vivre sa ménopause. The French version of the website is not finished but we think we have advanced far enough to make some of its content available. However, we need your support to create the English adaptation of this site and pursue the translation and dissemination of our pamphlets.
Do you believe it is essential to fund innovative and independent research? Do you want women to have access to a wealth of useful, relevant, and regularly updated information on menopause? Help us continue our work. Thank you !
