Wellbeing & World Menopause Day

Menopause is the time, one year after a woman has her last period and usually happens around the age of 51.

So technically, when we say women are in the ‘menopause’ we are excluding those women in their 40s who are in the perimenopausal stage, a time in a woman’s life when hormonal imbalances and the effects of those can have a significant impact on health and wellbeing at home, in relationships, in the workplace.

The Wellbeing Pathway has delivered Wellbeing & The Menopause workshops to over 100 women in the past few months, exploring signs, symptoms, sources of support and a space for sharing with and learning from others.

Despite promoting these workshops in an inclusive way, no men have attended. It’s understandable given the potential sensitivities and the long-standing perspective from some on the menopause where women are often described as “hormonal”, “going through the change”, “hyper”, “moody”, accompanied by eye rolling and shoulder shrugging or people genuinely feel a lack of understanding about what to say/what to do.

But actually, women’s health and the time before, during and after the menopause period (pardon the pun) should be part of normal conversations involving the men in our lives. Most of us live, work and connect with women; employ women; love women yet how much understanding is there really about how women can and should be supported around the menopause?

How much better would it be for everyone if there was greater awareness, a joined-up approach to support, where we actively recognise and care for women and men as we all go through the effects of living with the menopause?

The science around peri – post menopause, talks about the role of the hormone oestrogen in a woman’s body. With oestrogen receptor cells in almost everyone part of a woman’s body and a depletion in this hormone during menopause, the effects can be seen in many women experiencing fatigue, pain, memory and concentration problems, anxiety, low mood, low sex drive and general feeling of imbalance.

If there are no support mechanisms in place, this can be a very challenging time. Some women who attended The Wellbeing Pathway workshops talked about their feelings and the difficulties in living with the menopause as they struggled to have their voices heard and listened to. Others talked about really good menopause related policies in the workplace, family members being willing to listen and living fulfilled lives in strong, positive relationships. Being connected to others and feeling informed and empowered seemed to be where these women all wanted to be.

There has been a welcome awareness and focus recently on all things menopause related but there is still some way to go to improve that focus, encourage more men to join in the conversation and for this aspect of women’s health to be given the recognition and support it deserves, particularly with those healthcare professionals involved in women’s care.

Although women can live with a range of challenges around the menopause, the theme for this years World Menopause Day is Bone Health. Check out this poster from the International Menopause Society for more information https://www.imsociety.org/

On World Menopause Day and beyond, can you play your part in keeping the Menopause conversations going?

• Sign up to a learning opportunity around wellbeing and the menopause
• Talk to the women in your life about living with the menopause
• Ask your employer about workplace policies around the menopause
• Ask your healthcare professional about the training they have around the menopause
• Share recommend sources of information and support with others

Recommended sources for further information:

https://www.menopausehealth.ie/
https://www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/
https://www.bitcni.org.uk/
https://www.at-onewellbeing.com

Recommended Reading:

• The Wisdom of Menopause, Christiane Northrup MD
• Healthy Menopause, Liz Earle
• Preparing for the Perimenopause and Menopause, Dr Louise Newson
• The Menopause Solution, Dr Stephanie Faubion

Catherine Murnin

The Wellbeing Pathway Founder