Oh, the joys of menopause…
It’s unbelievable really, that I got to the age of 47 and never really understood anything about menopause until my symptoms started appearing.
(Please don’t stop reading, gentlemen, because menopause affects you in a roundabout kind of way, whether it’s your partner, sister, mother, boss or colleague…)
My mum never told me anything about it, probably because she didn’t understand it herself. It was something women had to go through alone in the past.
I remember being at a friend's house and her showing me a website detailing the symptoms of perimenopause/menopause - fatigue, brain fog, loss of concentration, hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbance, anxiety, mood swings and more... She read the list aloud, but because she was a very polite lady she couldn’t bring herself to read out “vaginal dryness” but we both saw it on the screen.
Christ…Kill me now!
“We’ve both been feeling a bit crap lately…”
“Oh God, yeah…but aren’t we a bit young? I thought menopause didn’t happen until your periods stopped!”
“Look at this - the symptoms can go on for more than 10 YEARS and start while you’re still menstruating!”
“Holy shit!”
It felt like we were a couple of 7 year olds who’d just found a text book about sex and it all looked yucky and scary.
I spoke to a doctor a couple of years ago because I was struggling with nausea and low mood that was probably associated with my fluctuating hormones but they told me at the time that HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) wasn’t a good idea for me as I have a close relative who’s had issues with blood clots.
I gave up on the idea for a while, but earlier this year, I was inspired to explore HRT again after hearing another success story about a client’s wife who felt a whole lot better after some hormonal assistance, and I wondered if there was a solution I could try.
So, I spoke to a different GP and she told me hormone patches rather than pills were recommended for those with a risk of blot clots, so I happily took home a prescription.
I’m happy to say within days I felt much more myself again, and within a couple of months the brain fog had gone, my energy levels increased, I had no more hot flushes, and my mood swings were very minimal.
I really do feel great now.
I bloody love HRT.
Menopause affects every woman differently. Some sail through it and some find it completely debilitating.
A recent study found 25% of women consider giving up work due to menopause, and 10% actually hand in their notice, so if you’re an employer this will almost certainly affect you at some point.
Most women feel like they get no support from their employers, and I understand why this happens. Until it affects you, you’ll probably be ignorant of how debilitating it can be.
However, if you’re an employer, it’s something you need to be aware of as a welfare issue.
There’s plenty of information on the internet for the legals on this, but it starts with simply talking about it in your organisation, because quite often women really don’t know what’s hijacking their minds and bodies.
Menopause can be a very tough thing to live with, and it’s not just women need education and support because it affects partners, too, with the associated negative impact on relationships.
Let’s keep the conversation going…