September 2008 will see UK charity Wellbeing of Women (WoW) hold
their second annual Healthy Women Campaign, with TV presenter
and journalist Fiona Bruce, a long time supporter of the charity,
as the face of the campaign.
Every day, millions of women in the UK suffer from problems related
to their reproductive health, so throughout September, WoW- the
only UK charity dedicated to solving the health problems that
solely affect women - will encourage women to listen to their
bodies more closely and give them the confidence to seek help
when they think something is wrong.
The focal event of the campaign is The WoW Show, taking place
in London at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- that looks over London's Regent's Park - on September 20th.
It's the women's health show that brings together the worlds of
health and fitness - offering women serious advice from recognised
medical experts.
To order tickets to the show or for more information please call
Wellbeing of Women on 020 7772 6400.
Tickets £5.00
As well as The WoW Show, there will be lots of fun and informative
events taking place that will help to raise awareness, as well
as vital funding, to find practical solutions to many of the isses
affecting women. Core Sponsorship of the Healthy Woman campaign
has come from Vagisil and BMI Healthcare.
September 19th 2008 is national 'Purple WoW Day' and WoW will
be asking everyone to get together with their friends and dress
up in Purple for the day, sell Purple cakes or go for a Purple
picnic. It's a fun way to raise money. Visit www.purplewowday.org
for more details and to register for a Purple WoW Day fundraising
pack.
Did you know that...
* Over 16,000 women in the UK are diagnosed with a gynaecological
cancer every year
* 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage in the UK.
* 10% of women will have a hysterectomy by the time they're 60.
Over half of all women in the UK will experience a reproductive
health problem during their lifetime. Most choose to suffer in
silence rather than visit a doctor. Many are too embarrassed to
explain the problem or too worried about what the outcome might
be. The result can be months of pain and discomfort before they
ask for medical help and by then drastic treatment may be the
only solution. Yet if they understood their bodies better, none
of this would happen.
Wellbeing of Women understands that every woman's body is unique
and that it has its own way of telling what it needs. Wellbeing
of Women has created a free information booklet entitled 'What
every woman should know about her body' to help women understand
their bodies better, so that they can get help sooner rather than
later.
The booklet is designed to be an easy reference manual for women
of all ages on a range of quality of life, reproductive and gynaecological
issues. The aim is to 'keep it simple'. The message is: The more
you know, the better you'll be.
The most common health problems for women are listed with hints
on how to recognise them and what to do about them.
Wellbeing of Women believes that not enough attention is being
given to individual health conditions including quality of life
problems. Although it is important to get regular tests for gynaecological
cancers, all women should be able to recognise the symptoms of
other gynaecological and reproductive conditions.
Director of Wellbeing of Women, Liz Campbell,
said:
"Wellbeing of Women is the only UK charity that seeks answers
to women's gynaecological, reproductive and quality of life health
issues. We have created this booklet so women have a primary point
of reference if they are concerned about their health. They need
to feel confident enough to ask for medical help as soon as they
suspect something is wrong."
Free copies of the 'What every woman should know about her body'
booklet will be available from Wellbeing
of Woman on 020 7772 6400 or by emailing wellbeingofwomen@rcog.org.uk.
