A South Wales event will be offering easily accessible and reliable information that women can access about their health.

The Department of Health and Social Care (2021) survey found that only 17% of women in the UK felt they had enough information on menstrual wellbeing.

Only 14% knew enough about gynaecological cancers, and just 9% of women felt that they had enough information about menopause. The difficulty is getting information from health professionals isn't always straight forward, with some people struggling to see their GP or waiting months or even years to see a specialist. This means that people turn to other sources of information and often this is social media.

Increasingly medical professionals on social media don't wear white coats and so how do you identify them?

Having the title Dr in the instagram name doesn't mean that the person has a medical qualification.

It can be difficult to know is someone is a health professional, a wellness guru or an expert patient who is on social media. There are an increasing number of people who have experienced a medical condition who have a significant social media following who start to give opinions on medical treatments online. Companies involved in the commercialisation of women's health are using the language of feminism to promote their products. A recent report by the Global Wellness Summit revealed that menopause merchandise is projected to turn over £492bn by 2025.

The Everywoman festival was set up by Julie Cornish, Colorectal Consultant Surgeon in 2023 aiming to challenge some of these issues.

The idea came from listening to many women who had been struggling for years with symptoms, thinking they were normal and not knowing where to go for help.

By bringing together doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, dieticians, psychologists and other health professionals, the Everywoman festival is designed to educate, empower and support women and girls across a wide range of health conditions. 

Following a successful first event in 2023, this year's event in Cardiff, Insole court on Saturday 15 June is even bigger. Key topics this year include menopause, cancer survivorship, sexual health, IBS, endometriosis, mental health and many more.

"Information is key when it comes to health but it does depend on what people do with it and it needs to be evidence-based," says Julie Cornish, Colorectal consultant surgeon and founder of the Everywoman festival.

"I think it is a positive step that health professionals are being active on social media as long as they are qualified and experienced health professionals who present the information in a factual way.

"While there are tips and educational resources on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, there is also an epidemic of misinformation and myths — particularly when it comes to women's health."

The Everywoman festival has six speaker areas; main tent, cancer &survivorship, thrive through sport, Guthut, living with chronic conditions and education tent as well an arts area.

The event is expecting to attract around 3000 people on the day. The Everywoman festival combines talks from health professionals and patient advocates, with more than 80 additional practical workshops, support groups, charities, music and art.

Tickets for the Everywoman festival are available at everywomanfest.com.

Adult entry tickets cost £20 and youth tickets £10, which include more than 60 speakers included in the event which starts at 10.30am and finishes at 6pm. For more information visit the website (everywomanfest.com) or follow on social media (@theeverywomanfestival)