Portraits of Menopause

By Dr Sharron Hinchliff, Dr Stephanie Ejegi-Memeh and Hatice Bulut.

The menopause - a topic once surrounded by silence is enjoying visibility across the UK: it recently featured on mainstream TV in Davina McCall’s documentary ‘Sex, Myths and the Menopause’, and is central to upcoming Government Policy ‘The Women’s Health Strategy’. To be part of this moment, we asked women to share their positive experiences of menopause so that we can join the conversation. 

We know from our research that women's experiences of menopause can vary a lot, and that some of us have a difficult time with life-changing symptoms. But women also tell us that they’ve experienced menopause as a time of personal growth, where they feel stronger as a result of overcoming hellish symptoms, and many report that they are so relieved to be free from menstrual periods. 

We are proud to present Portraits of Menopause: an online exhibition of personal narratives alongside uplifting images from Dizzy Lou Illustration. We invite you to pause and reflect on the exhibition below (click on the image to expand the gallery).

Personal stories are a powerful way to raise awareness, and as such the exhibition aims to help us have an open and honest conversation about menopause, and to celebrate midlife and beyond.

See the additional board below for more stories (click on the box with the arrow in the top right of the window below to open the board in a new webpage). You are welcome to add your own - it will be anonymous unless you choose otherwise.

The project is part of our sexual rights and ageing work at the University of Sheffield, which tackles stereotypes, raises awareness, and deepens understanding. Meet the project team on the board above.