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Original poster

Boots menopause advice for "people with a vagina"

245 replies

Givemepickles · 08/11/2023 09:26

On their menopause support page, where apparently they want to normalise the menopause...

https://www.boots.com/health-pharmacy/womenshealth/menopause-support

"The menopause is a natural process which people with a vagina go through as they get older however, in some cases, is medically induced. As oestrogen levels start to drop, periods become less frequent and eventually stop altogether. For some, their periods stop quickly, but for others, it can take a few months or a few years. Everyone is different.

Menopause signs and symptoms are different for everyone and usually begin between the ages of 45 and 55, with the average age for people in the UK being 51. Whilst some choose to seek treatment plans from their GP, others will look for other solutions to help manage signs & symptoms."

I'm so sick of this. I'm not defined by having a vagina! I am a woman. Piss off Boots.

Menopause Support, Advice & Products - Boots

Boots is here to support you through the menopause with information, tips and an extensive range of products to ease your symptoms.

https://www.boots.com/health-pharmacy/womenshealth/menopause-support

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
MrsElsa · 08/11/2023 10:46

Pretty sure menopause isn't a condition of the vagina 🤔

LondonLass91 · 08/11/2023 10:46

It's also factually incorrect, because if you are a trans MTF then you may well have a vagina after surgery, but you won't be getting the menopause...just word salad...

LondonLass91 · 08/11/2023 10:47

FFSWhatToDoNow · 08/11/2023 10:03

They’ve done it on the men’s health section too. Except it’s just “people” rather than “people with a penis”.

they still have Men’s Health and Women’s Health headers. 🤔

https://www.boots.com/healthhub/mens-health/erectile-dysfunction-service

Oh this is absolutely ridiculous!!!!

ErrolTheDragon · 08/11/2023 10:49

I used the feedback button and complained/explained.

Tinysoxxx · 08/11/2023 10:54

A huge % of the population would not be able to label where a vagina or cervix is. I taught sex ed and biology and it’s quite shocking. This was before the propaganda of trans ideology too and the lies it promotes such as a transwoman on tv saying I will show you my cervix. And politicians saying men can have a cervix.

In order to properly safeguard their health, all people need to know that they can’t actually change sex and, even if they don’t want to hear it, they still need to know that biology matters when it comes to body parts. That’s what Boots needs to discuss if they have a duty of care to their customers.

LondonLass91 · 08/11/2023 10:58

ErrolTheDragon · 08/11/2023 10:49

I used the feedback button and complained/explained.

Thank you for this

qwertyuiopasdfgh · 08/11/2023 11:00

What crap. What has a vagina got to do with the menopause?!

I would prefer if they said "women and people with a vagina" because I'm not going to be referred to as a person with a vagina, even if some women might prefer it

BIWI · 08/11/2023 11:03

I've complained on the 'contact us' section of their website, to customer services. Very interested to see if they reply.

JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon · 08/11/2023 11:06

What about the transmen who have had surgery? Sounds a bit transphobic and exclusionary, Boots need to educate themselves and do better.

flaxentoad · 08/11/2023 11:09

TheShellBeach · 08/11/2023 09:28

Ah well.
That's another reason not to shop there.
That, and their awful website.

Yeah, they have a shit website.

Try to place an order with them over the weekend and gave up.

qwertyuiopasdfgh · 08/11/2023 11:10

just complained in the "Feedback" tab, and emailed

Theeyeballsinthesky · 08/11/2023 11:11

sadly young TM taking testosterone will go through an early menopause & deal with things like vaginal atrophy

I note boots are a bronze holder on the stonewall employer index. If memory serves, one of the ways to increase your points in the employer index is to stop using sex based terms like woman

LondonLass91 · 08/11/2023 11:11

I used the feedback button and wrote this..bit waffly but I am incensed.

Your menopause advice page states that people with a vagina...and has removed the word woman from the whole section. First of all, the menopause is not a condition of the vagina, and not all people who have a vagina will go through the menopause. Your eradication of the word woman is absolutely offensive to many, but also absolutely confusing and unhelpful to people who have English as a second language. I am writing to complain about your refusal to use the word woman in relation to something which is so major in a woman's life. You have also done it to men in the erectile dysfunction page...so whoever the 22 year old left wing intern is writing this, you perhaps need to remind them that, really, the word woman is not offensive. It isn't a swearword, no one will hate you for using it...

madeinmanc · 08/11/2023 11:13

It says a lot that this shit is never forced on men people with a penis. (I haven't read the whole thread as I get too annoyed).

Astababe · 08/11/2023 11:16

Absolutely ludicrous. I’ve just gone on to the Boots site and filled out the feedback form. And the answer as to whether I would shop with them again: no!

qwertyuiopasdfgh · 08/11/2023 11:19

LondonLass91 · 08/11/2023 11:11

I used the feedback button and wrote this..bit waffly but I am incensed.

Your menopause advice page states that people with a vagina...and has removed the word woman from the whole section. First of all, the menopause is not a condition of the vagina, and not all people who have a vagina will go through the menopause. Your eradication of the word woman is absolutely offensive to many, but also absolutely confusing and unhelpful to people who have English as a second language. I am writing to complain about your refusal to use the word woman in relation to something which is so major in a woman's life. You have also done it to men in the erectile dysfunction page...so whoever the 22 year old left wing intern is writing this, you perhaps need to remind them that, really, the word woman is not offensive. It isn't a swearword, no one will hate you for using it...

it seems that the word "woman" is only offensive if it's aimed at actual women. but not to men. so fucked up.

i feel bad for the 22yr old. a couple years ago, a kid asked me "are you a girl or boy?". , so I, quite taken aback, blurted out "can't you tell??!", then, "is it because i have short hair?". the girl next to him whispered conspiratorially: "you're a girl aren't you?". now i realise the poor kid really didn't know what to think and I didn't know what crap they were teaching

AFieldGuideToTrees · 08/11/2023 11:20

cbuew9 · 08/11/2023 10:37

I even noticed in Sainsbury's where their signage used to say "feminine care" (where all the tampons/pads are etc) it now says "period care"

I don't see the problem with this. Feminine care was such a mealy mouthed cop out because of the taboo around the word period. It is period care so I'm glad they're calling it that.

Ballsbaill · 08/11/2023 11:20

What email address do you all use for this?

AFieldGuideToTrees · 08/11/2023 11:25

TotalOverhaul · 08/11/2023 09:57

Good style, as every copywriter knows, is to be as clear and concise as possible. If you can say something in fewer words, do. 'Women and transmen' is three words. Superclear.

'People with a vagina' is four words and far less clear. Do transwomen with a cosmetically created vagina fall into this category or not?

You're absolutely right, and surely it's more inclusive to say women and trans men, as it helps normalise trans men in society.

However we all know this is driven by the misogynistic trans women who can't bear not to be at the centre of everything, so because menopause can never be about them, it must be about people. Anything to obliterate women.

BIWI · 08/11/2023 11:27

But there is absolutely no need to add 'transmen'. A transman is still, biologically female, therefore included in the word 'woman', i.e. someone with a vagina who will go on to experience the menopause.

Mischance · 08/11/2023 11:31

It should say "people with a womb/ovaries" if it wants this nonsense to mean anything at all. Some trans males have a vagina surgically constructed.

What a state we are in when big companies feel obliged to spout this rubbish.

Villagetoraiseachild · 08/11/2023 11:33

Time to boycott Boots then.
Lets get the Daily Mail onto this.

Villagetoraiseachild · 08/11/2023 11:36

If it's blatantly obvious, neo vaginas don't have periods and therefore cannot stop having periods.
It's a ridiculous and rubbish piece of writing.

Villagetoraiseachild · 08/11/2023 11:39

Scuse me, if it's not blatantly obvious.....

CorruptedCauldron · 08/11/2023 11:43

Women women women women women women women women women women.

Nobody died. No one experienced literal violence. It’s just a word - a nice, clear word that has been used for a very, very long time to describe female adult humans.

All Boots needed, if they wanted to be right-on, was a little footnote at the end:

* In this advice section, we refer to women, as the menopause is a female condition. However, we recognise that some people affected by the menopause may have a trans or non-binary gender identity. This advice is still relevant for those groups.