Menopausal women are the fastest-growing demographic in the workforce, so it’s important now more than ever to be able to speak openly about menopause at work.
Menopause can affect a woman’s working life. Sometimes menopausal symptoms or working conditions can impact your ability to concentrate or carry out your role to the best of your ability.
In a survey of 1,000 adults in the UK, the British Menopause Society found that 45% of women felt that menopausal symptoms had a negative impact on their work and 47% who needed to take a day off work due to menopause symptoms say they wouldn’t tell their employer the real reason.
Many women have said that they often find managing their menopause symptoms in the workplace very challenging. Coping with symptoms in the workplace can be hard, especially as many women find it difficult to talk about menopause at work.
The menopause usually happens between 45 and 55 years of age but it can also happen earlier or later in someone’s life. For many people symptoms last about 4 years, but in some cases symptoms can last a lot longer.
There are 3 different stages to the menopause:
Some people might also experience early menopause or go through medical menopause earlier in their lives. These types of menopause can be medically complicated, so employers should consider this when supporting their staff.
All stages and types of the menopause are different and symptoms can vary from person to person, and range from very mild to severe.
Symptoms
Menopause and perimenopause symptoms can have a big impact on your daily life, including relationships, social life, family life and work.
It can feel different for everyone. You may have a number of symptoms or none.
Symptoms usually start months or years before your periods stop. This is called the perimenopause.
Changes to your periods
The first sign of the perimenopause is usually, but not always, a change in the normal pattern of your periods, for example they become irregular.
Eventually you’ll stop having periods altogether.
Mental health symptoms
Common mental health symptoms of menopause and perimenopause include:
Physical symptoms
Common physical symptoms of menopause and perimenopause include:
Symptoms can last for months or years, and can change with time.
For example, hot flushes and night sweats may improve, and then you may develop low mood and anxiety.
Some symptoms, such as joint pain and vaginal dryness, can carry on after your periods stop.
With around 4.4 million women aged 50-64 in work across the UK, the vast majority of whom will go through the menopause transition during their working lives. There is now thankfully much greater awareness and acceptance of the condition from GP’s and within the workplace. The taboo and stigma that prevented many women discussing menopause is slowly disappearing thanks to the promotion and education about symptoms and greater knowledge about different available strategies and treatments and the wider availability and use of HRT.
Dr Louise Newson who founded The Menopause Charity, has developed a free menopause education programme for healthcare professionals which has been downloaded by over 30,000 clinicians globally, meaning there is now a much greater understanding and acceptance of the menopause as a real issue.
Remember menopause is perfectly normal .If you think you are suffering the symptoms of menopause there are many things that you can do to alleviate symptoms
If your symptoms persist, consider seeing your GP to discuss HRT and how it can help you. HRT is a safe and effective treatment for most going through menopause and perimenopause. Your GP will discuss any risks with you.
HRT involves using oestrogen to replace your body’s own levels around the time of the menopause. There were an estimated 1.93 million identified patients that were prescribed HRT in England in 2021/22. This was a 30.5% increase from an estimated 1.48 million identified patients in 2020/21 showing woman are finally getting the help they need.
