Dr Newson Joins Forces with Sophia Forum to Raise Awareness of HIV and Menopause

Published: 14th September 2020

Dr Louise Newson has teamed up with Sophia Forum, a national UK charity which promotes and advocates for the rights, health, welfare and dignity of women living with HIV through research, raising awareness and influencing policy. Sophia Forum’s work reaches women with different ethnic, faith and gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, immigration status and relationships with the criminal justice system. The charity also ensures that women living with HIV are meaningfully involved in all its work. 

Dr Newson has also joined forces with Sophia Forum to co-create a helpful booklet titled ‘A Guide to Menopause for Women Living with HIV’ and has recorded a podcast with Sophia Forum Director, Sophie Strachan, honorary HIV clinician and menopause specialist, Dr Nneka Nwokolo, and Dr Jacqui Stevenson, a researcher and advocate of the charity.

Speaking of her involvement with the charity, Dr Newson said;

“A couple of years ago, I attended a menopause conference and listened to a lecture about the menopause in women living with HIV and I came away feeling really angry, learning how women living with HIV are more likely to experience menopausal symptoms yet are less likely to receive HRT.

I was therefore excited to be introduced to Sophie Strachan from the Sophia Forum and we discussed ways of reaching more women living with HIV. She explained how many tragic stories she had heard from women who were unable to receive help and often turned away from medical care. I am so thrilled and proud to see the booklet finally in print so I hope it will help many people. We are also recording a series of podcasts about various aspects of this work which I am looking forward to sharing.”

Listen to the podcast.