The Lowdown’s March Newsletter

Hi everyone, Alice from The Lowdown here

I’ve been back at the helm for three months now, and I have to say how much I’m buzzing by what The Lowdown have been working on.

We’ve closed a fundraise AND launched a new HRT review platform — read on for more info.

This month’s newsletter is sponsored by a pretty awesome female-founded healthcare company called Maxwellia. They focus on taking prescription drugs and making them available over the counter so we can get hold of them quicker and easier in pharmacies. We met their Founder & CEO Anna last year, and she was unanimously declared as ‘a vibe’, so we’re really excited to feature them.

Things we learnt this month…

Reminder: You can get hold of the contraceptive pill from your local pharmacy

At the end of last year, the news broke that you’ll be able to get contraceptive pills prescribed for free by local pharmacists, instead of having to get a prescription from your GP. It’s such great news, but I’ve been speaking to a lot of NHS bigwigs since coming back from maternity leave, and they’re telling me that this change is going to take some time to roll out across the country — probably around 1-2 years.

Luckily, it’s currently really easy to pick up a progestogen-only pill from your local pharmacy, and with the summer holidays just around the corner, we think it’s important to make more women aware of this if they’re running out of supply and need to make a mad dash to Boots.

The mini pill Lovima contains desogestrel, one of the most commonly prescribed ingredients in a contraceptive pill and is stocked in a range of pharmacies including Boots and Superdrug. You can pick up a pack for just under a tenner, for one month’s supply, once you answer a few quick suitability questions inside the pharmacy. So if you’re not able to get your usual desogestrel pill from your GP or clinic, it’s a pretty accessible option.

We’ve also just added the LoviOne morning after pill to our website — so if you’ve used this brand of levonorgestrel-based emergency contraception before, please share your review!

If you’re curious to learn more about how the mini pill works, one of our OG blogs has everything you need to know.

Sponsored by Maxwellia. Lovima® 75mcg film-coated tablets. Desogestrel. Oral contraception. LoviOne 1.5mg tablet.  Levonorgestrel. Emergency contraception. Always read the label.

What we know so far from our perimenopause experiences & HRT reviews

Our new menopause experiences and HRT reviews launched this week, here’s what our early insights are telling us…

The age range of experiences spans from below 40 and up to 70 years old. We’ve spoken to a few women under 40 who feel frustrated about their symptoms not being taken seriously, so hopefully this space will be validating for them (as well as the blog below )

The most common problems being reported are sleep issues and mental exhaustion. As a new mum, I feel for them!

It’s a pretty even split between people who have and haven’t used HRT to help manage their symptoms. Oestrogen-only HRT methods have been the most reviewed, with Oestrogel 0.06% gel being the most reviewed of this type of HRT.

53% of HRT reviewers said it’s had a somewhat positive impact on their mood, 44% gained weight, 31% experienced no change to their sex drive, and 21% said their skin improved. Everyone’s different, so check out the reviews for the details!

If you’ve been considering talking to a healthcare professional about your symptoms, Dr Fran has written a great guide to preparing for your first perimenopause appointment — with two pieces of advice that may appear conflicting but are vitally important.

Some new research has come out on the risk of brain tumours and the progestogen in the contraceptive injection

A recent study looked at a group of people who had surgery for a type of brain tumour called a meningioma and compared them to another very similar group without. Meningioma is an uncommon and usually benign tumour. It’s not cancerous but can cause other problems by pressing on brain tissue and so can require surgery. It’s very rare under the age of 35, however the risk increases as you get older, with most people diagnosed over the age of 65.

Previous studies have found a small increased risk of meningioma requiring surgery in people who had used the synthetic progestogens cyproterone acetate (which is in the combined pill Dianette) and nomogestrel acetate (in the combined pill Zoely). People with meningioma should not use these contraceptives, although meningioma is very rare in young women, and guidance suggests users of the combined pill switch to an alternative method at the age of 50 as the risks tend to outweigh the benefits beyond this age.

This study however also suggested a link between the risk of meningioma and the prolonged use of medroxyprogesterone acetate, the progestogen in the contraceptive injections Depo Provera and Sayana Press. Our friends at the FSRH have suggested that clinicians should include this new info in conversations around risk and benefits of contraception with patients and will be monitoring the evidence around progestogen use and risk of meningioma.

In the news…

NHS England has appointed its first-ever national clinical director for women’s health! Dr Sue Mann will be helping to implement the Women’s Health Strategy alongside supporting the roll out of women’s health hubs across England.

BBC Sport studied elite athletes’ use of and attitudes to hormonal contraceptives. Looking into the pill’s perceived impact on their performance and menstrual cycle. If someone doesn’t conduct some women-specific sports science research soon, we might have to step in!

Opill became the first over-the-counter birth control pill to be available without a prescription in the US in March. American Progress’ think-pieceexplores why this is such a pivotal moment, and what the next steps are to ensure the US has ongoing contraception care and reproductive rights for all.

“Ozempic-babies” was not a term on my 2024 bingo card, but some women who are taking the weight-loss drug have reportedly found it easier to get pregnant — or on the flip side, think that it impacted the effectiveness of their birth control.

️ Abortion has officially been decriminalised in every state and territory in Australia! Western Australia (WA) was the last state to still include abortion access in its criminal code. Which brings me to…

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Get involved: Decriminalising abortion in England and Wales

UK MPs are proposing to decriminalise abortion up to 24 weeks in England and Wales. The latest proposal, supported by MPs across parties, seeks to protect anyone who has an abortion, and the medical staff who provide them, from prosecution.

MSI Choices have made it super easy for you to get involved and help make abortion access a legal right. Find and write to your MP in just a few clicks using this pre-written message on their website

Post of the month

Did you know that technically, menopause is only one day in your life? Once you’ve watched the above, check out Dr Fran’s follow-up video

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If you made it to the end, thanks for reading! I’m really excited about this new stage of The Lowdown. If you have any feedback on our new perimenopause and HRT areas, I’d love to hear it.

I’ve also recently published my second Substack post on the highs and lows of returning to work after maternity leave. You can subscribe to my personal newsletter if you want more content on what it’s like to be a female founder figuring out work, life, and motherhood.

Thanks,