Tag: Holland & Barrett

Holland & Barrett launches FREE women’s health service in 600 stores

  • New Women’s Wellness Commitment aims to support health needs and break down stigmas
  • First campaign will help educate on hormones as nearly half of women (48%) feel dismissed when talking about their symptoms
  • Retailer launches over 600 Women’s Health Coaches and the first of its kind free nurse helpline
  • Celebrity Hayley Morris supports campaign to raise awareness of hormone health

New research has revealed that over a third of women (35 per cent) say there is a lack of education or readily available, trusted support and guidance on women’s health issues, including hormone health across the life-span from menstruation to menopause.

60 per cent of women agree there needs to be more access to information and support on women’s health, with a third (31 per cent) stating they were last equipped with information on their cycle and hormones when at school, or not at all.

Understanding the need, Holland & Barrett, the UK’s leading health and wellness retailer, is launching a long-term commitment to address four key areas:

  • democratising access to support,
  • closing the research gap,
  • enabling health equity
  • and leading in product innovation with women’s needs in mind.

The H&B Women’s Wellness Commitment* will kick-off with an awareness campaign on hormone health.

The ‘Own Every Day Of The Month’ campaign, supported by award-winning actor and writer, Hayley Morris, will aim to empower women to optimise their overall wellness by understanding the rhythm of their hormone cycle across their lifespan and break down associated stigmas.

Despite almost half (49%) stating they have experienced negative symptoms throughout their menstrual cycle, such as weight changes, low energy, stress, cramps, 48 per cent say they have felt dismissed when speaking about their symptoms, with health professionals ranking top of the list (16 per cent) versus employer (8 per cent), and partner (8 per cent) amongst others.

Over a quarter (28 per cent) of women admit to living with symptoms for longer than a year before seeking help, or not seeking help at all.

To support all women, Holland & Barrett is introducing over 600 Women’s Health Coaches to the high-street. Nearly every store will have a dedicated Women’s Health Coach with expanded training to offer a deeper level of expertise and confidential support on hormone health. Additionally, the retailer will extend its current women’s health training to all 4,000 colleagues to be able to offer guidance on personalised solutions.

A free general women’s health helpline will see trained nurses able to offer further support and guidance on the hormone cycle and any symptoms. The specialist nurses can also help prepare individuals for their GP consultation and offer advice on what they can do while they wait.

Lina Chan, Women’s Health Director at Holland & Barrett, said: “Women’s health has been under-served for too long. Being on every high-street, we are ideally placed within the community to support and help add quality years to life and truly champion wellness for all women.

“Our new long-term commitment will start by empowering women to understand their hormones, so they are in control of their marvellous bodies.

“Understanding and optimising the menstrual cycle can unlock a lot of the mysteries about women’s health and even help improve other areas of their wellness such as gut health, energy, sleep, skin and metabolism.

“By proactively engaging with our hormone health we can also better understand gynaecological conditions, fertility and the menopause as hormones sit at the core of these various life transitions where women can experience severe symptoms.”

The new commitment comes at a time when gynaecological conditions were rated the number one issue for 100,000 respondents to the government’s Women’s Health strategy, a 10-year strategy set out to boost health outcomes and radically improve the way in which the health system engages and listens to all women.

Hayley Morris, actress and writer, said: “I’m so proud to be able to support Holland & Barrett’s ‘Own Every Day Of The Month’ campaign, and be a part of a genuine movement for women to understand their health better, and the role of our powerful hormones within it.

“I’ve been on a real journey (it’s still going!) with my hormonal health, there have been really difficult times but understanding my hormones better is empowering and I will keep spreading the word!”

Alongside expert advice and support, Holland & Barrett offers a line of hundreds of products designed to help with the symptoms experienced through the cycle. C

ustomers can also find a hormone guide packed with expert advice to support women at every stage of their hormone cycle and the H&B Health Hub has been updated to include further advice and guidance on a wide range of women’s health topics.

Holland & Barrett launch new Menopause services as research reveals two-thirds of women suffer in silence

– Two thirds of women do not talk about the menopause, with 61 per cent citing for fear of ‘judgement’ –

– A quarter who have spoken about their experience say they were ‘menosplained’ –

– Holland & Barrett partners with TV presenter, Cherry Healey, to launch the menopause Pause & Listen Pledge for a more supportive society –

– Alongside training 4,000 Holland & Barrett colleagues to advise on the menopause –

New research has revealed that almost two thirds of women (61 per cent) say they do not talk about the menopause, with 61 per cent citing for fear of being ‘judged’ and treated differently as the reason.

Despite 83 per cent of women saying that the menopause is less of a taboo subject now than it has ever been, one in three (33 per cent) said they have had experienced a negative reaction, such as shutting the conversation down, when they had spoken about what they were going through and how they were feeling.

As a result, only half (51 per cent) said they feel comfortable speaking to their family and friends regarding the matter.

In response to the research, Holland & Barrett, the UK’s leading health and wellness retailer, has partnered with TV presenter Cherry Healey to launch the menopause Pause & Listen Pledge where people are being asked to promise to unconditionally listen to and support people experiencing the menopause.

A quarter (24 per cent) said they had even experienced ‘menosplaining’ with people trying to explain their menopause back to them rather than listening. Women said they would feel supported (43%), normal (37%), confident (17%) and less anxious (15%) if they simply had someone listen to their experience without interruptions or judgement. 

Holland & Barrett has long supported menopausal women – over 50 years – and this Pledge launches alongside training 4,000 of its colleagues to advise on the menopause. People can sign up to the Pledge in store and via the Holland & Barrett website.

Fiona Sweny, Wellness Futures Science Lead at Holland & Barrett said: “There has been real progress made in recent years to bring the menopause to the forefront of the conversation, thanks to the many high-profile women who have been openly speaking about their experiences in the media.

“However, while awareness has improved, there is still a big job to be done in helping women feel heard. We know everyone’s journey is different and while we won’t pretend to know how an individual’s experience feels, we can promise to be there to listen, support, and offer guidance and invite others to join us in this promise.”

Cherry Healey, TV Presenter said: “Since recently being diagnosed as perimenopausal, I’ve been fortunate enough to have been supported and listened to, yet I sadly know this isn’t the same experience for so many.

“That’s why taking part in Holland & Barrett’s Pause & Listen Pledge is so important to me – we must get more women talking openly about their experience, the good, the bad and the ugly, so they receive the support they need, and the only way we’ll achieve this is if we create an environment where women feel listened to, without judgement.”

The retailer has also opened a number of Menopause Pause & Listen Rooms in city stores across the UK. These dedicated rooms will offer a calming space and cool spots, to speak with a trained menopause adviser. An exclusive partnership with the charity Menopause Mandate will also be announced later this month – another example of the retailer’s focus to encourage women to openly talk about the menopause and to ensure they are being listened to.  

The Pause & Listen Pledge 

We won’t pretend to know how your menopause feels.

We won’t say millions of people go through it every day.

We won’t tell you to just get on with it.

We won’t say “You’re way too young to go through the menopause”.

We won’t make light of your menopause.

We will give you the chance to offload.

We will help you try to find ways to get through it.

We will understand that your menopause is unlike anyone else’s.

We will show you that you don’t have to do this alone.

And above all we will always listen and support you.