To celebrate the launch of our new five-year strategy, Wellbeing of Women hosted a panel discussion tackling the taboos surrounding women’s health, the challenges faced by women in managing the impact of their gynaecological health across their lifespan, and how we can radically improve the conversation.

Attended by more than 500 people from across medical, corporate and charity communities, the insightful discussion, chaired by Wellbeing of Women’s Prof Dame Lesley Regan, heard from Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill DBE, Olympic medallist, mother and founder of women's training app, Jennis, Izzy Judd, author of Dare to Dream and host of Let’s Talk Fertility podcast, and Marissa Thomas, UK Board member of PwC and champion of women's health.

Find out more about our strategy here.

We asked our panel of leaders:

What is the real impact of persistent stigma and taboo surrounding many women’s health issues?

How can we, as a society, tackle these?

How can we create positive change in women’s health and wellbeing in workplaces?

How can we ensure women’s lives are not limited by their gynaecological and reproductive health – at work, at home and in society?

Here are some of the highlights from the discussion:

Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill said that her "world changed" as she started in athletics aged 10 and her hormones began to change: "My menstrual cycle and other athletes' weren't spoken about... it was only once I got older it blew my mind we didn't have those conversations on a regular basis."

Izzy Judd: "It's very difficult to get the information... It's been a case of trying to do my own research and I want for my daughter to have the power of knowledge to help her understand her menstrual cycle."

We are incredibly excited to unveil Wellbeing of Women’s new strategy. As the only UK charity supporting women’s gynaecological and reproductive health throughout the women’s life course, we have a long history of supporting groundbreaking research that saves and changes lives.

Wellbeing of Women exists to save and change the lives of women, girls and babies.

In response to a need that we see in fulfilling our purpose, we are expanding our remit of work from research to also include education and advocacy. We believe this is how we will continue to support the best outcomes for women.

Our Vision is to create a world where women's lives and choices are not limited by their gynaecological and reproductive health.

Our Mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of women through research, education and advocacy - and we will be guided at every stage by women’s voices.

To learn more about our work and how you can get involved to support our mission, get in touch with our Head of Partnerships and Community, Laura Neale: [email protected].

Together we can amplify women’s voices to radically improve the conversation around women’s health - saving and changing the lives of women, girls and babies.

Get in touch with us today to understand how you can get involved and support our Education, Advocacy and Research programmes.

In addition to our scheduled programmes, we also work on bespoke partner collaborations with corporates, organisations and brands looking to understand how they can make a difference.

Missed the discussion and want to catch up? Watch the full recording from our Whisper to a roar: Tackling Taboos in Women’s Health event here:

With thanks to Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Izzy Judd and Marissa Thomas for their candid and insightful contribution to an important conversation.

Find out more about the strategy here.