Winner
Calling Time on Heavy and Painful Periods
Summary of work
Heavy and painful periods affect the majority of women, yet many delay seeking medical help for almost two years, and 31% never seek medical help at all. Normalisation, stigma and fear of dismissal suppress help seeking and undermine confidence in navigating care.
To address this, the charity Wellbeing of Women partnered with Stirred on a pro bono basis to support the launch of the Period Symptom Checker - part of the wider “Just a Period” campaign.
As a B Corp certified healthcare communications agency, Stirred embeds business as a force for good within its organisational approach. Pro bono partnerships such as this one form a core part of that commitment.
Co-created with gynaecologists, GPs and women with lived experience, the checker helps women experiencing heavy bleeding and severe pain understand when symptoms warrant medical review, supporting them to approach consultations with greater confidence. The checker provides tailored guidance and generates a personalised GP letter, enabling clearer conversations and reducing consultation anxiety.
In 2025, nearly 70,000 women completed the checker. For 92% of users, symptoms warranted consultation, and a personalised GP letter was generated. Post-checker survey results found that six in ten respondents had since attended a GP appointment.
Judges’ comments
This entry from Stirred and Wellbeing of Women was on a small budget, but had a big result. Its measurable objectives were outstanding, with a solid commitment to pro bono working. The audience was well defined and the judges liked that they thought about impact on the NHS. It had great follow through, was innovative and a huge amount of thought had gone into the work.
