endometriosis Archives - FTWW

Female health and Endometriosis: Read our blogs for The Welsh Fabians

September 22, 2023

We were delighted to be asked to write two blogs for The Welsh Fabians, part of The Fabian Society, which is an independent left-leaning think tank and a democratic membership society with over 7,000 members. They influence political and public thinking and provide a space for broad and open-minded debate. They also publish insight, analysis and opinion; conduct research and undertake major policy inquiries; convene conferences, speaker meetings and roundtables; and facilitate member debate and activism across the UK. For our first blog, In ‘The Land of Our Fathers’, is Women’s Health a Poor Relation?, we discuss female health inequalities…

Endometriosis.Cymru Update

July 14, 2023

FTWW is excited to be working with colleagues in Cardiff University and Proper Design to expand and update the Welsh Government and NHS-funded Endometriosis Cymru website. We’ll be developing information about Wales’s endometriosis services, the social model of disability, and how to access further support outside of healthcare settings, as well as ensuring that the website is accessible and available in an Easy Read format. Watch this space for further updates and involvement opportunities!

Every Woman Festival Recap!

June 26, 2023

We’d like to say a HUGE thank you to Julie Cornish and The Every Woman Festival team for such a fantastic event in Cardiff on Saturday! It was empowering, emotive and informative; seeing so many people coming together to discuss female health, share information and support each other was just brilliant. Thank you so much for inviting us to be part of it. Dee spoke on the main stage about her experiences with endometriosis and adenomyosis, alongside two incredible women; Molly Fenton, founder of The Love Your Period Campaign, and Bethan Walters, a UN advocate for menstrual health and…

Beth hands in the petition to the Senedd with Jenny Rathbone MS, supportive MSes and FTWWers

Don’t Delay, Vote Now! Endometriosis Petition to the Senedd Shortlisted for Petition of the Year

June 20, 2023

This month, voting opened on the Senedd’s Petition of the Year competition to recognise and celebrate the contribution of campaigners in Wales. FTWW is delighted to see that of volunteer, Beth, amongst the five notable petitions shortlisted by the Petitions Committee. The public is now being asked to vote for the one that has had the most impact on the people of Wales – closing date is 30th June. You can vote for Beth’s petition, ‘Improving Endometriosis Healthcare’ here.

Jacob completes his challenge

Diolch, Jacob and Harriet!

April 28, 2023

FTWW Volunteer, Harriet Jones, who also runs the @apaininthepelvis Instagram account, was recently invited to talk about Endometriosis by abigo mboke, creator of The Waiting List podcast. They discussed life with endometriosis and why it’s important to be inclusive, as well as the symptoms and temporary ways of managing them. Listen to the episode here. Speaking of Harriet, we would like to say a huge thank you to her and her partner Jacob Law, who set a huge personal challenge to run 100km during March as part of Endometriosis Action Month, raising money for FTWW and Barbados Association of Endometriosis and PCOS. Not…

Jack Sargeant MS, Huw Irranca-Davies, John Griffiths MS and Dee Montague-Coast from FTWW

Endometriosis Action Month at The Senedd

April 4, 2023

March was one of our busiest Endometriosis Action Months yet! Engagement Officer Dee and Endometriosis UK’s Lizzie were joined by volunteers Rachel Joseph and Lowri Shepstone at a drop-in event at The Senedd for Senedd Members. The event was well attended, with so many Members keen to learn more and better support their constituents. We were delighted that Huw Irranca-Davies, Labour MS for Ogmore (pictured), followed up with a debate in the Senedd.

Endometriosis Action Month

Endometriosis and The Women & Girls’ Health Plan

April 3, 2023

March was Endometriosis Action Month, and we were delighted to join forced with our friends at Endometriosis UK to host a virtual event, chaired by Jenny Rathbone MS, on Thursday 23rd March. The focus of the event was on the NHS Wales and Welsh Government Women and Girls’ Health Plan for Wales and was an opportunity to hear from a guest panel of experts and patients who discussed what they would like to see included in the Plan, which is currently under development and due for publication this year. You can watch the event back here.

#EmbracingEquity in female health – Our blog for WCVA

March 8, 2023

Thanks to WCVA for featuring our International Women’s Day blog, which explores the need to #EmbraceEquity in Health in Wales. FTWW’s members describe many & varied barriers to accessing optimum healthcare; our aim is to raise awareness and offer solutions! Read it here: https://wcva.cymru/views/embracingequity-in-female-health/

Endometriosis Action Month

Virtual Event – Endometriosis and The Women & Girls’ Health Plan

March 2, 2023

March is Endometriosis Action Month, and we are delighted to invite you to attend a virtual event on Thursday 23rd March from 6.00pm – 7.30pm. The event will be chaired by Jenny Rathbone MS. The focus of the event is on the NHS Wales and Welsh Government Women and Girls’ Health Plan for Wales and will be an opportunity to hear from a guest panel of experts and patients who will discuss what they would like to see included in the Plan which is currently under development and due for publication this year. Register for the event here. If you…

Ask your MS to meet us at The Senedd

March 1, 2023

As part of Endometriosis Action Month, FTWW be teaming up with Endometriosis UK later in March, when we’ll be inviting Members of the Senedd to come and find out more about endometriosis and what they can do to support their communities. Tag your MS in our tweet and ask them to come and see us! Not sure who to tag? Find your constituency and regional members here.

Endo March is BACK!

February 28, 2023

Worldwide EndoMarch is coming to Wales again. Cardiff will be the location for the South Wales event, with the march taking place on Sunday 26th March. We will be marching through the streets of Cardiff with the hope of promoting awareness for endometriosis, and the need for faster diagnosis, greater education, and more funds for research into better treatments and an eventual cure. Find out more and book your space here.

FTWW Volunteer, Dee Dickens

Period Proud Launched

February 16, 2023

“That’s one of the reasons why I’m talking about it now, as I don’t want anyone else to go through this” – FTWW Volunteer Dee Dickens We are delighted that the Welsh Government has launched Period Proud, an intersectional plan that FTWW and volunteers – including Dee – have been involved in. As Dee highlights in her interview with WalesOnline, so many girls and young people who have periods miss out on education and recreational activities due to period poverty and lack of access to products, menstrual wellbeing education and support – all of which contribute to shame and stigma surrounding…

Rebel Bodies: A guide to the gender health gap revolution

January 20, 2023

This month saw the release of Sarah Graham’s debut book, Rebel Bodies: A Guide to the Gender Health Gap Revolution – and you can read an exclusive extract in The i Paper! The extract focuses on endometriosis and includes the battle to get diagnosed by our Engagement Officer, Dee. The article also highlights the work of FTWW and others in campaigning for mandatory menstrual wellbeing education here in Wales, and our work in advising Welsh Government. We are delighted to be included in this vital, inclusive book, and we’d like to recommend it to anyone with an interest in, or lived experience…

Rachel is smiling as she stands in front of the Welsh Charity Awards banner, being presented with her award.

Rachel is Young Volunteer of The Year

November 30, 2022

We are so proud of FTWW Volunteer, Rachel Joseph, who has been named ‘Young Volunteer of the Year’ Award at WCVA’s Welsh Charity Awards. Rachel does so much for FTWW, and for endometriosis patients across Wales, and we would be lost without her. She picked up her well-deserved award at the ITV Wales studios – check out their article detailing more about her achievements. Diolch yn fawr iawn, Rachel – our powerhouse!

presenter Alex, who has long dark straight hair and is wearing a pink jumper, speaks to Endometriosis specialist Richard Penketh, who is wearing green clinical scrubs. He is showing her endometriosis tissue on a laptop screen

ITV Wales This Week: Living In Pain – documentary shines spotlight on Endometriosis crisis in Wales

April 28, 2022

A number of FTWW volunteers and supporters featured in Alexandra Hartley’s documentary for ITV Wales This Week: Living In Pain, which covered the issues facing endometriosis patients in Wales – including a lack of specialists and access to them, long waiting times for surgery, and the average diagnosis time of nine years – the longest in all of the home nations. Dee, FTWW’s Engagement Officer, was interviewed for the programme and had this to say, ‘We need urgent intervention from Welsh Government…If you put ten of your female friends or…

Endometriosis Nurses stand with the Health Minister and Chief Nursing Officer inside the Senedd

FTWW’s Volunteers Help to Deliver Training to Wales’s Endometriosis Nurses

March 21, 2022

Thursday 17th and Friday 18th March proved to be incredibly exciting for FTWW, with 18 of our volunteers participating in a 2-day training event for Wales’s new endometriosis nurses. Funded by the Welsh Government and recently appointed by every health board, the nurses will support patients with suspected and confirmed endometriosis as they navigate care between primary (GP) and secondary (gynaecologist) care. For many patients, this will involve pain management, pelvic physiotherapy, and waiting for what can be a long time to access surgery. Our volunteers were pleased to share their experiences as well as give the nurses the opportunity…

The Senedd

EVENT: Endometriosis Care in Wales – Where Are We Now?

February 24, 2022

Endometriosis UK and Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales Endometriosis Action Month Welsh Senedd virtual panel debate REGISTER HERE Endometriosis UK and Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales invite you to join us hear our Endometriosis Action Month virtual panel debate “Endometriosis Care in Wales – Where are we now?” at 5pm on Thursday 24 March. Speakers include: Jenny Rathbone MS, Chair of the Cross Party Group on Women’s Health Rebecca Taylor, Policy Manager, Endometriosis UK Debbie Shaffer, Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales Jenny Shaw, Endometriosis Clinical Nurse Specialist, Swansea Bay University Health Board Beth Hales,…

Beth Hales, FTWW Volunteer, presents the petition to Jenny Rathbone and a number of MSes.

Petition to Improve Endometriosis Healthcare in Wales Delivered to The Senedd

February 2, 2022

Calls for urgent action on waiting lists, more specialist staff and an end to the postcode lottery impacting endometriosis patients across Wales. Support from Sian Harries, Amelia Womack, Jenny Rathbone MS, and patient-led women’s health charity Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales. A petition calling for Welsh Government to Improve Endometriosis Healthcare in Wales was handed in to Jenny Rathbone MS, Chair of the Women’s Health Cross Party Group, at the Senedd today (Wednesday 2nd February 2022). The charity Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales (FTWW) is warning that care for Welsh patients is in crisis and needs…

a screengrab from a BBC Breakfast report. Dee, a white woman with dark hair wearing a blue floral dress, sits with the Newport Transporter Bridge in the background. She's not looking at the camera - she's speaking to the reporter who is out of shot.

Opinion: Engage Britain – Why we must be able to critique the NHS

September 16, 2021

By Dee Montague, Engagement Officer at FTWW Earlier this year, FTWW facilitated two focus groups as part of Engage Britain’s community conversations around health and social care. Our conversations were two of 101 held across Great Britain, looking to find out more about people’s positive – and negative – experiences of health and social services. One of our groups focused entirely on endometriosis, and the second had a general ‘women’s health’ focus. As part of the publicity around Engage Britain’s conversations and subsequent survey results, I was asked to be a case study for the BBC coverage, and was interviewed…

Endometriosis Care in Wales is at Crisis Point

August 10, 2021

Since FTWW first came into being at the end of 2014, we have campaigned for better endometriosis care in Wales. This was made very clear in the 2018 report we co-produced with Welsh Government’s all-Wales Endometriosis Task & Finish Group. Right now, however, endometriosis provision throughout Wales is at crisis point. There are no endometriosis specialists in Mid or North Wales (although work is underway to improve provision in the latter), and access to specialists in England or Cardiff is not easily achieved. The two remaining endometriosis specialists in Cardiff are becoming increasingly inaccessible, with NHS waiting lists for surgery…

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