Deaf and Signed Resources

These resources have been developed by the D/deaf community, for the Deaf community, helping them to better understand the menopause, symptoms and treatment options and to communicate even more effectively with their healthcare providers.

Together, our goal is to empower women who are D/deaf or hard of hearing with evidence-based resources and information to help them on their menopause journey, and GPs with the knowledge and tools they need to deliver high-quality, inclusive care to all their patients navigating menopause.

To access these video resources, head:

• here for the menopause Q&A with Dr Clare (with BSL)

• here for the menopause glossary in BSL

• here for the menopause workshops (with BSL)

The challenges faced by D/deaf women in accessing menopause information

The partnership comes following a study by the University of Wolverhampton that revealed a majority of D/deaf women (60%) do not have sufficient access to menopause health information in British Sign Language (BSL). More than half of D/deaf women (55%) are not aware that the symptoms they are experiencing could be attributed to the menopause, and 90% of D/deaf women have revealed they have no awareness of treatment options.^[1]

There are around 188,000 people who use BSL as their first language in the UK, with the majority being under 55, and 49% female.^[2] Women whose first or preferred language is BSL often experience health inequalities and due to inaccessible services and information, many lack access to help and support. Until now D/deaf women only had access to secondary interpreted content which often does not come with explainers of the signs and terms associated with the menopause.

In response, in collaboration with our partners, we have developed a free, online accessible resources guide^[3] which will be hosted here on our website, the BID website and the H&B Menopause Hub. (BID is a charity which works to remove barriers and deliver services which enable and empower those who are D/deaf, hard of hearing, sight impaired, deafblind or have other disabilities to live full lives)

The uniquely curated resources provide BSL signs that explain the menopause, the symptoms and meaning behind them. These also include Frequently Asked Questions and a suite of videos explaining the many different terms people will come across when they start their menopause journey, as well as common symptoms, healthcare and lifestyle advice, all using an aligned set of signs to explain the terms.

This is in addition to the free videos of the workshops we ran live with BID, covering topics from understanding the menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to how food and exercise can help you manage menopause symptoms, as well as sleep, loss of libido and contraception. All workshops were delivered in English by a menopause specialist doctor from My Menopause Centre, with BSL interpreters.