World Menopause Day 2022
It’s World Menopause Day and we want to help raise awareness in line with the International Menopause Society. The theme for this year is Cognition and Mood. Midlife women commonly experience physical and psychological changes as they go through menopause, some even referring to this as brain fog.
Menopause is part of the natural ageing process for women. Commonly known as ‘the change’, it refers to the point in time when menstruation has ceased for twelve consecutive months and a woman have reached the end of their reproductive life. After a woman has not had a period for a year, she can be described as ‘post-menopausal’.
Peri-menopause, which is the period of hormonal change leading up to the menopause, can often last between four to five years although, the duration varies greatly in different individuals. During the time of peri-menopause, women may begin to experience symptoms due to changes in their hormone levels. These symptoms may vary between different individuals from mild to significant. Many women do not always realise that they are experiencing this or understand what is causing their symptoms. Symptoms can range from physical to psychological symptoms which can include:
- hot flushes
- palpitations
- night sweats
- fatigue
- headaches
- depression
- anxiety
- poor concentration
- changes to mood
- problems with memory
Women may experience only some these symptoms (this list is not exhaustive). We recognise that a large and increasing proportion of our team will be working through and well beyond menopause. In the UK alone it is estimated that around 1 in 3 women are either currently going through or have reached the menopause, with it usually starting between the ages of 45 and 55.
We realise that menopause is a very personal experience and different adjustments, levels of support may be needed for different team members. Which is why all our managers are committed to taking a positive and supportive approach towards discussions about menopause and are trained to help and raise awareness.
Our People Department have also started a Menopause Support Group. Our Menopause Support Group is available and open to any member of staff affected by issues linked to menopause (directly or indirectly). The group is organised by our Wellbeing team, they’re meeting monthly aiming to provide a confidential and supportive forum for those affected by menopause to access peer support and share knowledge and information. It also provides an opportunity for those affected by menopause to provide input into the development and review of relevant workplace policies that may have an impact on menopausal women. Just last week, we had a group session focused on healthy foods with research showing that a balanced diet can help alleviate some symptoms and help keep bones healthy, which can help menopausal symptoms. We provided recipe books to all those who attended.
Mandy Simpson, our Wellbeing Executive Said, “Some women may go through the menopause with minimal symptoms, but unfortunately a percentage of women find it can be a difficult transition. We value our people and want to raise awareness as menopause is a natural phase in every woman’s life that needs to be normalised, with up to 3 out of 4 women experiencing symptoms. We want to offer support to women that are going through menopause and create an environment where women can talk about it openly without embarrassment.”
If you think you can help raise awareness for menopause or would like to understand how you can help your family member, partner, or friend, don’t hesitate to get involved and help your team members.
For more information, please follow the link below – https://thebms.org.uk/publications/world-menopause-day-2022/
Click here to download The Menopause Support guide
