The Endo Spectrum

Wes Streeting just resigned. So what does this actually mean for women’s health in the UK?

FYI Wes = (was) British Health Secretary

love him or loathe him, he very publicly said the thing so many of us have been screaming for years.

That women are being dismissed, That our pain is minimised…That endometriosis takes an average of 8 years to diagnose in the UK because no one believes us.

He called it what it is = Medical misogyny!

I spent 10 years being told I was going mental, that painful periods were “normal”, and even after I FINALLY got my endo diagnosis, I had the wrong surgery (Not fun)

So after years of being gaslit by doctors, having someone in that specific position of power actually saying it out loud was pretty exciting (in my world anyway…)

So him sacking off the role now - Not ideal is it…

BUT

Plenty of people are also calling his women’s health campaign pretty wishy washy and overall sh*te compared to what’s done for men’s health (shocker).

The “action” plan wasn’t really addressing things in a practical way, no clear answer on shrinking waiting lists. Total uncertainty around women’s health hubs.

So it’s actually pretty debatable whether Wes was going to DO anything. On the media front though, things were at least looking up.

The thing is, politicians come and go…and women’s health always slips down the priority list the SECOND the spotlight moves on!

So where does this leave us? Back to square one? Is someone else picking up the baton?

Either way, I’ll still be here waving the women’s health flag here on .richards

What are your thoughts on the whole thing? I WANNA KNOW

DAY 1 | Pilates Retreat 📍Portugal 🥑🧘‍♀️✨🥗

From a work trip in Barcelona for .womenshealth to a pilates retreat in Portugal…the literal DREAM (well almost / my hormones are still fighting me 🤣)

Life has been full of incredible things recently, but despite it all being magically positive, my nervous system is feeling shaky to say the least…and as a result my hormones are freestyling 🤣

Period is late - AGAIN - potentially missing this month?! But I truly believe the last 6 weeks has started to shift things in the right direction, so hopefully my cycle will follow suit soon!

Anyway, here’s how Day 1 went…

🛬 Flew from Barcelona straight into Porto

🚗 Taxi was waiting the second I landed - I could get used to this… (travel stress = zero)

🛏️ Checked into the most beautiful room with the comfiest bed, a goody bag that genuinely made me gasp, and a personalised affirmation that made me feel SO seen

🌄 First pilates session overlooking the most stunning hills - the whole class was built around twisting and movement to shake off post-flight puffiness (yes, this is a thing…and yes, it WORKED)

🥗 Dinner was whole food, nourishing and delicious - we spent the whole evening eating, chatting and getting to know each other

Pilates is one of my favourites because it ticks so many boxes at once…resistance training, strength work AND mindfulness all in one. Movement that works WITH your body, not against it.

I’m so grateful to be here…this is actually my 3rd retreat with now and I’ll never take the gifted stay for granted, they’re just phenomenal and I’ve made life long friends from each one✨and they’ve also been consulting us on our own retreats with .womenshealth - women supporting women 💅🏻

Cannot wait for Day 2 - follow along at .richards so you don’t miss it!!

And I’m genuinely doing research into retreats right now…so drop your retreat experiences in the comments, good OR bad - I want the honest ones!! ⬇️

PilatesForWomen