women's health equality Archives

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…

FTWW Included in BBC Fertility Coverage

December 19, 2022

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‘Desperate women will take desperate measures’ when it comes to trying to lose weight in order to be allowed access to fertility treatment, says Dee, FTWW Engagement Officer. We hear all too often from our members and beyond that those struggling with health conditions like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), key symptoms of which can be weight gain and infertility are simply told to lose weight when trying to get pregnant, with little to no understanding of why they might be finding it difficult. The effect on mental health can be significant, not least because there are strict…

Women’s Health Plan for Wales Launched by Third Sector Coalition

May 28, 2022

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A report published by a coalition of charities and health organisations, on International Day of Action for Women’s Health, says women in Wales have poorer health outcomes than men and urgent action is needed to ensure they receive equal care and treatment. Leading the Women’s Health Wales coalition of over sixty charities, UK-wide umbrella organisations, Royal Colleges and patient representatives, British Heart Foundation BHF Cymru and Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales (FTWW) have today [Saturday 28th May 2022] published a Quality Statement which calls on Welsh Government to improve healthcare for women, girls and those assigned female at…

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

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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…

Adenomyosis Awareness Month: Behind the Health Statistic

April 14, 2022

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FTWW Volunteer, Lara, hosts the Women’s Health Series of Cardiff University’s ‘Behind the Health Statistic’, and the second episode focuses on Adenomyosis – timely as April is Adenomyosis Awareness Month! Our Engagement Officer, Dee, shares her experiences of the condition, which occurs when the tissue that normally lines the uterus (endometrial tissue) grows into the muscular wall of the uterus. We’re sharing a link to Spotify, but you can find the episode – and the series – on all major podcast platforms.

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

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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

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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…

Debbie Wins TWO Awards at Chwarae Teg Womenspire18!

June 12, 2018

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Chwarae Teg, Wales’s leading gender equality charity, once again celebrated the achievements of women from all backgrounds and stages in life or work across Wales. Womenspire recognises women for every aspect of life, from personal achievements to outstanding contribution. This year’s ceremony was held in the beautiful Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff. The event attracted a full house and was filmed by ITV Wales. Members of FTWW’s North Wales group made the trek knowing that Debbie was a finalist in the ‘Community Activist’ category, which made the evening even more exciting. The other women in this category were phenomenal candidates for…

Her Yr Wyddfa 2017 Snowdon Challenge

August 28, 2017

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Snowdon Challenge Between 1st – 7th September, two of our biggest supporters, Heidi and Iona, will embark on the challenge of walking up Snowdon every day to raise funds for FTWW, Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales. The pair will be walking a different path each day and would welcome company – so, if anyone would like to join them on all / part of their challenge, the order of paths to be undertaken is as follows: – Day 1: Llanberis path – meet at the Llanberis railway station @ 8:00am, Grid Ref OS OL17 583598 Day 2: Pyg…