Three out of four people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis are women, and MS Australia is spotlighting multiple sclerosis and women’s health for Women’s Health Week in 2021.
MS is commonly diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40 years, when many women are focusing on career and family planning.
Early diagnosis and good health management can make a huge difference to treatment and management of the disease, so MS Australia is delighted to announce a community partnership with the national non-profit organisation Jean Hailes this year for Women’s Health Week.
Held from 6–10 September, this is Australia’s biggest week in women’s health, focusing on the importance of maintaining good health and wellbeing for all women and girls.
New themes each day
MS Australia in collaboration with the four state/territory MS organisations will be presenting a week- long informative and educational program to complement the five Women’s Health Week daily themes:
- Move it
- Periods from start to finish
- Relationships
- Connection
- and Nurture and Sleep
There will be a mix of activities, presentations, resources and events to engage the community. The primary focus is on women’s health, but the program will be inclusive of all people affected by MS and other neurological conditions.
CEO of MS Australia, Rohan Greenland said he was pleased to be partnering with Jean Hailes for Women’s Health.
‘We aim to reach women and girls around the country with important health and wellbeing messages, to raise awareness, educate, provide connections, information and highlight the work we do in MS research, advocacy and frontline support and advisory services,’ he said.
‘Our program for Women’s Health Week is for people living with or with an interest in MS,’ he said.
‘It’s important to convey health and education messages to the community, taking into consideration the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, as well as good health management, which will help to promote wellbeing living with MS,’ said Mr Greenland.
United messages
Women’s Health Week campaign manager Brenda Jones said both organisations share similar messages around education and the importance of making time for your health.
‘We are encouraging all women and girls to join the week to find the support, connection and information they need to be healthy in mind and body,’ she said.
For more details about MS Australia’s Women’s Health Week 2021 program, please visit MS Australia’s special digital hub: www.events.msaustralia.org.au/WHW2021.
For more information on Women’s Health Week please visit: womenshealthweek.com.au.
More about MS
- MS is a neurological condition affecting the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and is the most common acquired chronic neurological condition diagnosed in young adults.
- There is no single known cause of MS. We do know that MS is caused by an autoimmune process that is directed at the insulation of nerve fibres, known as myelin, in the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve.
- The triggers for MS are a combination of genetics and environmental factors and the specific combination is likely to be different for everyone.
- Over 25,600 people throughout Australia live with MS (and more than 2.8 million worldwide).
- Over 7.6 million Australians know or have a loved one living with MS.
- MS varies significantly from person to person. For some, it is a disease that comes and goes in severity with periods of unpredictable relapse and remission. For others it means a progressive decline over time. For all, it is life changing.
- Symptoms vary between people and can come and go; they can include severe pain, walking difficulties, debilitating fatigue, partial blindness and thinking and memory problems.
