Why your menopause voice is so important

Why does menopause matter?

“If you are a woman or identify as a woman, know a woman, love a woman, care for a woman, work with a woman – then knowing about menopause matters.” (Diane Danzebrink, Activist/Speaker – #makemenopausematter)

In case you weren’t aware, October is Menopause Awareness Month and 18 October is/was #WorldMenopauseDay and thanks to the efforts of a very small number of tenacious women across the UK, perimenopause and menopause – and its debilitating effects – is starting to be talked about publicly with awareness really starting to have an impact both on health and policies in the workplace.

Even though progress is seemingly slow moving, menopause is now being openly mentioned and discussed in popular culture (soaps, Netflix series, films), discussed in the national news (recently on Sky, BBC with regular features and articles in The Guardian, The Times and even UK Vogue and Harpers Bazaar) and celebrities are, of course, jumping on the bandwagon (Davina McCall, in particular, although her trademarking of the word ‘menopausing’ hasn’t been that well received – I’m not sure that anyone should be making money from the menopause, but let’s see how it goes!)

Over the past few weeks, during Menopause Awareness Month, we’ve seen a major clothing retailer, asos, introducing a range of new policies for women “going through health-related life events” such as pregnancy loss, fertility treatment and the menopause. The company will provide up to six weeks’ paid leave for its staff undergoing such treatments, including those fleeing domestic abuse situations.

We’ve also seen a major empowering advertising campaign on mainstream TV by Always (always.discreet.co.uk) which included women who weren’t wearing elasticated trousers! What an amazing step forward.

The most important step forward is that the #menopauserevolution is demanding Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) free of NHS charges in England and is currently lobbying the government with a private member’s bill to change legislation on prescription charges for menopausal women. It’s due to have its second reading in the House of Commons on 29 October, also urging changes in workplace policy around menopause, creating industry standard for how women are treated as they negotiate different life changes.

Some of the Facts

51% of the population are affected by menopause.

3 out of 4 women experience symptoms (and while this is exhausting for anyone going through the menopause, it’s not exhaustive – all women experience the menopause differently).

There are 34 ‘recognised’ symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause (irregular periods, hot flushes, night sweats, fatigue, water and gas bloating, vaginal dryness, digestive problems, lower libido, mood swings, depression, headaches, weight gain, breast soreness, a hot mouth, joint issues, dizzy spells, muscle tension, thinning hair, electric shocks, gum issues, pins and needles, lack of focus (brain fog), lapses in memory, itchy skin, anxiety, brittle nails, poor sleep and insomnia, urinary infections, body odour, allergies, heart palpitations, irritability, panic attacks and osteoporosis).

Almost 1 million women in the UK have left jobs as a result of menopausal symptoms.

As well as all the symptoms described above, Hormone Deficiency Syndrome can also be the cause of other late onset chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular events, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia as well as vaginal atrophy.

Why do we need hormones?

The menopause, sometimes called the ‘change’, means that a woman’s essential hormones start to deplete. This can happen to a woman at varying stages in her life, but usually in the latter stages from the age of 40 upwards.

Eostrogen contributes to cognitive health, bone health, the function of the cardiovascular system and other essential bodily processes.

Whilst Progesterone is linked to pregnancy and menstruation, without progesterone to complement it, estrogen may become the dominant hormone. This may cause symptoms including weight gain, decreased sex drive, mood swings, and depression, PMS, irregular menstrual cycle, heavy bleeding, breast tenderness, fibrocystic breasts, fibroids and gallbladder problems.

In women’s bodies, Testosterone is produced in the ovaries, adrenal glands, fat cells, and skin cells – it’s a sex hormone and it doesn’t just belong to men!

The long and the short of it is, and without going into too much detail, as these hormones deplete women can experience a whole variety of symptoms which can cause bodily functions to go haywire, but crucially, it can also affect a woman’s mental capacity, seriously affecting their wellbeing and brain power.

As mentioned before, menopause will look different for all women as we are all individuals and the debate about whether to take Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to supplement the depletion of our vital hormones, is a lengthy and involved one and one which should be researched thoroughly.

What next for menopause?

Without a doubt, women need to take control because research is still limited and access to services even worse – although this is slowly changing, we should all play our part in effecting essential change that affects all of us in one way or another.

I would advise women who are going through the menopause or perimenopause to do their own research based upon their own symptoms, to insist on appointments with their GP to discuss potential interventions, to have conversations with their managers and employers and to not feel embarrassed about talking about this life-altering health issue with co-workers, friends, family and basically anyone who will listen (that’s my theory and I’m sticking to it – they don’t call me Menopause Mags for nothing!).

Women historically are stalwarts, we tend to suffer in silence, we get on with it, we don’t complain – we have messy periods, we give birth, we breastfeed where we can, we have unmentionable bodily functions that no-one wants to discuss – and we don’t make a fuss.

It’s time to start making a fuss about a whole range of issues – and as the population gets older, and more and more women grow older (hopefully more wiser and more gracefully) we will have a very important part to play in society and we have years’ worth of valuable experience to offer in the workplace. Don’t ever think that it’s your ambition to suffer in silence, to lose that most vital and crucial part of yourself and, most importantly, don’t feel that you’re alone.

If you look on Social Media today (World Menopause Day) you’ll see that you are one of a billion voices starting to be heard.

Some useful resources

These are a few of the resources that I used when I was doing my research, when all of the weird symptoms I was experiencing suddenly started to make sense. You can read more about my personal experience in my BLOG on here.

Menopause Doctor (Dr Louise Newson)

Instagram@menopause_doctor

Instagram@themenocharity

https://www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/MyMenopauseDoctor/

Free app: Balance

On My Last Eggs

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/on-my-last-eggs/id1547978378 (also available on Spotify and other audio outlets)

http://www.podfollow.com/eggs

https://www.facebook.com/groups/824685768327361/

Instagram@onmylasteggs

Behind the Woman