Highly commended
Amplifying Voices, Transforming Lives: A Winning Strategy for Menstrual Health
by PLMR Healthcomms for Menstrual Health Coalition
Summary of work
Despite affecting one in five women, menstrual health disorders remain ‘Cinderella conditions’, lacking awareness, education and resources and consequently, many women suffer in silence.
The Menstrual Health Coalition (MHC), a coalition of patients and advocate groups, leading clinicians and individuals, supported by life sciences industry partners including Bayer, Gedeon Richter, Hologic and Theramex, sought to tackle these challenges through a bold campaign to place menstrual health at the heart of the UK Government’s women’s health agenda.
Through strategic collaborations, we mobilised patient voices, targeted key decision-makers and leveraged data to influence all parts of the system. We encouraged our wide network of supporters to respond to the Women’s Health Strategy Call for Evidence, highlighting the high priority women place on menstrual wellbeing. We partnered with a diverse range of advocates from different backgrounds and experiences to develop a unified Call to Action and secured valuable partnerships with key decision-makers to shift the narrative around menstrual health.
Our campaign secured two major wins:
- Menstrual health named as a theme within the Women’s Health Strategy and prioritised in the second year of its implementation.
- The development of women’s health hubs offering significant potential for improved patient pathways with associated resources.
Judges’ comments
PLMR Healthcomms and the Menstrual Health Coalition have produced an excellent campaign that ticked all the boxes and achieved what it set out to do. The objectives were clear, and the outcomes and outtakes impressive, particularly given the modest budget. The judges appreciated how the team acknowledged that it was building on prior advocacy work and thought this gave the campaign more credibility.”
