Wednesday 26 October 2022
This month we've been celebrating World Menopause Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness and combat stigma and misinformation about the natural stage of a woman’s life when her hormone levels decline and her periods stop.
Why is talking about menopause important?
Three quarters of women going through the menopause will experience symptoms, and for some these will be severe and impact on their day to day life.
Raising awareness and breaking the stigma so that more people will talk openly about this is vital.
But menopause is not just a gender or age issue. Helping everyone to understand the direct effect it can have on individuals as well as the indirect impact on friends, family and colleagues, can help people feel better supported.
With that in mind, we've put together this special edition of our newsletter.
 What is menopause?
Menopause refers to the time when a woman stops having periods because her ovaries stop producing eggs and levels of the hormones she produces falls.
It is reached when a woman has not had a period for 12 months. This usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55 years old.
It can sometimes happen earlier naturally, or for reasons such as surgery, cancer treatments or genetics.
What is perimenopause?
For most women, the menopause doesn’t happen overnight. This is because, (unless she's had a surgical menopause), her ovaries gradually slow down over a period of time rather than suddenly stop.
This transition period when a woman has symptoms leading up to menopause is known as perimenopause, and it can last for a few months or several years.
What are the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause?
Every woman's experience of menopause is different and there are a wide range of symptoms which can change with time.
The first sign of the perimenopause is usually, but not always, a change in the normal pattern of a woman's periods, for example they become irregular.
They may also notice a change in their mood, like feeling low or anxious and have problems with memory or concentration.
Common physical symptoms include hot flushes, difficulty sleeping, palpitations, headaches and migraines' muscle aches and joint pains, weight gain, dry and itchy skin, reduced sex drive, vaginal dryness and pain, itching or discomfort during sex and recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Symptoms can start months or years before her periods stop, and she might have a number of symptoms or none at all. For example, hot flushes and night sweats may improve, and then she may develop low mood and anxiety. Whereas symptoms such as joint pain and vaginal dryness, can carry on after her periods stop.
 Things that can help
Like many things in life, having a healthy diet, exercising regularly and looking after your mental wellbeing can help with symptoms during perimenopause and menopause.
It's common to have mood swings, low mood and anxiety around the time of the menopause and perimenopause, so it's important to get plenty of rest, keep regular sleep routines and do things that make you feel relaxed. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a type of talking therapy that can help with a low mood and feelings of anxiety. It can also help with sleep problems.
Hot flushes and night sweats can be eased by wearing light clothing, keeping bedrooms cool at night and taking a cool shower, using a fan or having a cold drink. Avoiding potential triggers, such spicy food, caffeine, hot drinks, smoking and alcohol can also help, along with reducing stress levels.
There are vaginal moisturisers or lubricants available without a prescription at a pharmacy that can be used to treat vaginal dryness. Or a doctor can prescribe other treatments such as HRT (hormone replacement therapy) or hormonal treatment (creams, pessaries, gel or vaginal rings).
Treatment for menopause and perimenopause
The main medicine treatment for menopause and perimenopause symptoms is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which replaces the hormones that are at low levels.
There are also non-hormone treatments if your symptoms are having a big impact on your life and you cannot, or choose not to, have HRT.
You can find out more about treatment options on the NHS website.
Menopause and work
Women make up half of the UK workforce, and those over 50 years old are the fastest growing demographic in the workplace, but many feel forced to reduce their hours, pass up promotions or even quit their jobs because of the menopause.
Discussing menopause at work can feel challenging but it's important to help reduce the taboo and make it a more comfortable subject.
For women, symptoms such as anxiety, brain fog, fatigue, poor memory, hot flushes, and irregular and heavy bleeding can lead to loss of confidence, decreased productivity, taking time off work and less satisfaction with their job.
Menopause can also indirectly effect others, such as colleagues, friends and partners by putting additional pressures and changes on relationships. So for everyone, understanding the basics around what the menopause is, its key symptoms, and some helpful ways to manage it can help them to become more equipped to offer empathy and support.
We've signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge to show our commitment to ensuring our organisation is a supportive and understanding place for employees going through the menopause. We recognise that the menopause can be an issue in the workplace and that women need support, so we are talking openly, positively and respectfully about the menopause and actively supporting employees affected.
You can hear from some of our colleagues in the video below.
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 Click image to play video on the news page of our website
Support
If you have questions about perimenopause or menopause, or if you’re struggling emotionally or physically, it’s important that you speak to a doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
There are also NHS and private menopause specialists who have experience in supporting anyone going through perimenopause and menopause.
Psychological therapies like counselling or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help with symptoms of menopause and perimenopause. You can get NHS psychological therapies without seeing a GP first.
Healthtalk has videos of women talking about living with menopause and perimenopause and what helped them.
Charities offering information and support include:
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