2020! It's been quite the year hasn’t it? It’s Stacy from The Surmeno Connection. We are extremely thankful to be working with Hedge & Fox again for the second consecutive year. Jen and Katie have been so fun to work with and we appreciate them giving our non-profit a platform and a way to fundraise. Non-profit fundraising can be hard and especially this year, with so many people going through so many things, it’s been extra difficult. But we are blessed and grateful to be here again sharing with you how our organization is helping women.

Our History

The Surmeno Connection was created in 2015 by myself and my co-founder Nicole. When both of us entered Surgical Menopause we quickly realized that women in surgically induced menopause really didn’t have good access to information or support. We started an online support group and it began to grow very quickly. When we realized that there was a HUGE need for tailored information regarding surgical menopause, we put our heads together and spent time researching, talking with physicians and creating a new website. Once we realized how quickly our support group was growing, we moved to make The Surmeno Connection a registered 501c3 (non-profit), in the hopes of being able to bring more tools and resources to women going through surgical menopause.

What's New

Since you last heard from us, we have had some wonderful things happen with The Surmeno Connection. Last year we were able to survey a large group of women in surgical menopause and the results were incredible. I’d like to say the results were surprising but unfortunately we were not surprised.  However, what we learned through that survey was that there was a large demographic of women feeling ignored, misinformed or under treated by the medical community. Surgical Menopause has a real effect on women’s physical, emotional and mental health. Our survey was shared across social media platforms and even by some physicians who are open to the fact that menopause and surgical menopause are being under treated throughout the medical community

Another exciting development for our group since last year, is that we started doing live webinars with some specialized and well respected physicians from a group called The Cusp. One of the main challenges in Surmeno can be to find good doctors who are specialized enough to offer appropriate treatment. The physicians at The Cusp have fit that role wonderfully and have offered our members an opportunity to connect with doctors through online appointments in certain areas. They are also rapidly growing and we are so grateful for their physicians taking the time every quarter or so to sit down and talk with our members and really answer their questions in a live format.

Looking Towards the Future

I feel like I could continue with all of the wonderful things that are happening within our group, as well as the larger community that's focused on women’s health issues, but it would get too long and probably not be that interesting. What I would like to share is that we are growing at a more rapid pace this year, and one of our top goals is to provide an App for women in Surgical Menopause to use, that can track their symptoms, medications/supplements, labs, even interface with their doctor’s office. While we have provided a free printable hormone tracking chart on our website, we realize the need for a more easily accessible format. It's a big goal but I believe we can do it with the support of our community and donors. And I personally believe there’s no better way to donate than to receive some Hedge and Fox jewelry in return! It's definitely a win-win. It means The Surmeno Connection gets to stay online and do what we love doing, and you get some beautiful, lightweight, unique jewelry. Its honestly some of our favorite jewelry and 50% of the proceeds come straight to The Surmeno Connection all year round.

Our Members

I wanted to close with a few quotes from members who have utilized The Surmeno Connection’s tools and peer support this last year. The non-profit sector can be grueling at times, but messages like these really give us the drive and ambition to keep going. And we couldn’t be prouder of all of our #surmenostrong women who have spoken up and shared their stories this year. They are the true warriors and every opportunity we have to help them live fulfilling lives gives us so much joy.

“The Surmeno Connection has been a godsend for me. To find useful information as well as emotional support during a vulnerable state is such a blessing. Most women seek a support group when going through life’s trials- The Surmeno Connection is a wonderful place to go when searching for help. I feel so blessed to have found a group of people who all come together with common problems and give kindness, compassion and helpful information.” -Angela

 

“I am a UK resident. And I had a bilateral oophorectomy in January 2018. I hit surgical menopause running. No Hormone Replacement Therapy was offered and I was only 39. After 2 years suffering with pain so unbearable I wanted my life to end. My bowels literally fell asleep. I read one post here on The Surmeno Connection and realized I am not the only one. I finally got medications from my GP and my life has done a complete turn around. THANK YOU!” -Anonymous

 

“I can honestly say at least 90% of what I know and have learned about surgical menopause has come from this group. The articles on the website are arranged according to subjects and written in a concise and easy to follow format. The private Facebook support group provides a safe place for being vulnerable without having to worry about judgement. We find ourselves members of a club we DIDN”T ask to join, and usually with such LIMITED information. Thank you to the founders who birth this group and to all the volunteers who continue to provide support in various capacities so that we feel supported and not alone. You are appreciated more than you know”
-Anonymous