Project manager for the event, Sahir Ahmed-Evans, said she hopes it will spread reliable information to women from ethnic minority communities, but crucially, from women who look like them.
The 47-year-old menopause coach said she now realises her perimenopause symptoms started in her 30s, but a medical menopause two years ago was a shock to the system.
“I thought I was dying,” she said.
“But after a few months it was like a silver lining for me.”
She had been living for years with undiagnosed endometriosis and adenomyosis, so injections to put her into menopause felt like “a liberation” from symptoms, and a chance to reset and focus on her wellness.
“As a Pakistani, Asian woman, I’m a mother, I’m a grandmother, I’m a wife, I’m a business owner, a content creator, and you just give, give, give,” she said.
“Then your body says ‘but there’s nothing left, when are you going to give to yourself?’
“So I feel like it’s nature’s way to say ‘now it’s time to step back and take something for yourself’.”
She said in addition to the different physical symptoms, there can be cultural pressures and stigmas at play among some black and Asian communities, where the topic of women’s health can be a taboo.