Menopause at work; why now?
I want to encourage you to be open minded & prepare yourselves & your workplace for what you see as a result of an employee’s menopause; what you thought might be important to them (i.e have a break; work from home), might not be what they need. But, giving them the thumbs up to bring a hot water bottle to work to keep in a freezer to allow them to sit on it when her burning vagina is just too much may just earn yourself some brownie points.
How did I get here?
I was employed in Education for nearly 20 years. Then one day, there was a hiccup I couldn’t deal with so I left. That wonderful tool ‘hindsight’ now tells me I had signs and symptoms of hormonal changes, but nothing to help me join the dots. My signs included reducing my hours, lots of medical appointments, crying at work (not cool in front of teenagers!) & thinking that my ‘toilet habits’ were being noticed by other staff (lessons are long, & my level of bleeding meant regular loo trips).
HR departments are not a substitute GP surgery but my GP saw me in total for about 30 minutes over 3 years; whereas your work colleagues are with you for up to 40 hours a week – you ARE going to notice more & therefore the jigsaw is easier for you to put together.
I left with the story of ‘concentrating on my own business’ which was true; it’s what I have done. I then got to spend more time with female clients. I was noticing things they spoke about not only rang true with me, but all pointed towards a change in their hormones.
I struggled to find local signposting that didn’t cost hundreds of pounds. I took matters into my own hands, completing 3 menopause based qualifications, one of which is designed for those in healthcare settings. These were self-funded & have meant that I can now talk in depth to anyone about menopause. I don’t charge hundreds of pounds & what I do charge, I use to reinvest into free menopause focussed events.
What is Menopause & this seemingly new term Perimenopause?
Very basically menopause is a state of hormone depletion that occurs in every biological female body if they’re lucky enough to live that long. It’s a perfectly natural depletion & it comes with its very own set of expensive baggage.
A tiny bit more technical; a natural menopause occurs when you haven’t had a monthly bleed for 12 months; the average age for this is 51. The perimenopause is the period of time leading up to this when hormones begin to fluctuate; this can be anywhere from 5 – 10 years before.
The hormones we are talking about here are oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Oestrogen levels behave rather like the Big Dipper at Blackpool Pleasure Beach over those 5-10 years, up one minute, down the next, occasionally getting stuck with the need for technical assistance, but knowing that eventually, one day, the rollercoaster will be marked ‘Out Of Service’ for life. Progesterone behaves much more sensibly and declines at a much slower pace, taking its time to mark its changes on the female body. Testosterone levels in women are naturally lower in comparison to that of a male do slowly decline, but we need it as it has an important job in terms of keeping our moods stable & libido alive. These 3 hormones all work together in ratios; some ‘hours’ that ratio is spot on & the woman is alive & kicking through life like Ginger Spice; but a few hours later the rollercoaster has broken down & failed to let progesterone and testosterone know they also need to calm down; ratios are then wrong & Ginger Spice is now more Old Spice & in need of a lay down.
Oestrogen is generally associated with reproduction, but actually effects the whole body as there are oestrogen receptors found in nearly every human cell. From head to toe, oestrogen can effect hair loss, brain function, hot & cold flushes, weight gain, aching muscles & joint pain.
Essentially, be on the lookout for symptoms in your colleagues who are over 40; whilst remembering that 1 in 1000 women have an early menopause for a number of reasons.
As employers, look out for;
Yawning & the constant talk of no sleep
Stress – worrying about not meeting targets
Talk of relationship issues
Unusual time off
Change in characteristics (brain fog, memory, poor concentration)
Unless you’ve had a surgical menopause (due to hysterectomy, ovary removal, cancer treatment); & this is whole different conversation, then these pointers don’t happen overnight.
What to listen out for at work:
“Didn’t sleep well last night, woke up 3 times in the night soaked to the skin with sweat”.
“Going to be late; got an emergency GP appointment. I’m worried I’ve got dementia. I found my phone in the fridge again & I don’t remember putting it there”.
The email saying “Hi, quick note, I must nip out to the shops. I had a little accident; I’ll be back asap & will make up the lost time”.
Conversations amongst the men in the workplace might sound like this:
“Wife shouted at me last night for putting her phone in the fridge, so I went to bed late in the hope she’d be asleep. When I finally dropped off, she woke me up 3 times to change the sheets; she’s so sweaty; it’s a nightmare. I might stay at work late tonight to avoid her for a few hours”.
A survey by Newson Health Research & Education of nearly 4000 women established that symptoms of menopause and perimenopause had impacted their work, made them have time off (over 2 months in 18% of cases), whilst also avoiding promotion, reducing working hours or resigning altogether.
How can you help your employees?
There are so many resources out there its actually quite scary. Search for it once on your phone and the algorithms will go crazy and before you know it you’ll be purchasing Black Cohosh and Collagen powder to keep in the company kitchen.
There are podcasts available that provides a really good starting point.
The Dr Louise Newson podcast is a good place to start. Episodes 15, 76, 80, 82 & 101 will be enlightening enough to help you know what you need to do for your business as a starting point.
On My Last Eggs is also a great place for information. Episodes which talk specifically about menopause at work are; S1 Ep14 and S2 Ep8
Signposting your colleagues is an option; there are smartphone apps popping up weekly to help manage symptoms; but then also, Suffolk Libraries, in conjunction with Suffolk Mind, have recently launched a new initiative called “Menopause and Me” with the intention of helping small to medium sized employers in the region be more menopause friendly.
Or there’s me; I am more than happy to come & talk to anyone about menopause, just get in touch!
To be honest, just letting your staff know that you’re trying may well be enough. Knowing simply that there are 3 main treatment options for addressing this hormone depletion (psychological therapy, lifestyle changes, HRT) could be enough to for your colleagues to know they are supported at this time of life.
Why now?
100 years ago, women’s average life expectancy was approximately 60 years old. Menstruation began at roughly 14 years old; birth rates were high, as sadly were infant mortality rates. It was common for women to spend many of their fertile years pregnant, looking after the house & the family. Of that 35 year period when she was having a monthly cycle, there may have only been 100 actual bleeds. At 51 she’d have stopped bleeding, left alone to be ‘the cranky old woman next door’ or sadly put in a mental institution.
Fast forward to 2023. In the UK, an 18-year-old female will currently be able to claim her pension at 68 years old. She’ll spend at least 18 years in education. From 18-45, she may still be in education, but also working, building a home, maybe having a family. From 45-86, with perimenopause peeking over the wall, there may now be parental care to throw into the mix, before finally at 68, retirement. Current average life span is 82, so 14 years to take up new hobbies or travel.
37 years of woman’s life will spent in a position of peri or post menopause. 23 of those 37, she’ll hopefully be coming into your workplace happily & healthy, engaged with your business & helping to give over her years of experience to the new employees in your company. Imagine if she decided to reduce her hours or became so anxious about failure that she left altogether?
What can work places do to help?
I’ll reiterate here that there is no expectation to become fully trained GPs (after all, menopause training isn’t compulsory for GPs until 2024). Women are reluctant to talk openly about their symptoms. As an employer, you don’t need to be a menopause expert; just provide a space for supportive conversations. Think about developing a menopause policy incorporating everyone (partners in relationships where one isn’t sleeping suffer also after all!). There are many example guides on line.
Maternity guidance is commonplace in the work environment; this helps to keep women in work & return to work after giving birth. Having a similar policy to encourage women to keep working with support & guidance can only be a good thing; after all, if they love their job, they won’t want to leave.
And remember, everybody is different. Some women will breeze through the menopause without a single hot flush or memory lapse, whereas other women can be deeply affected by their hormone fluctuations. Much the same as pregnancy, some women breeze through it & pop out babies with a sneeze, others really struggle with sickness & fatigue.
As a working perimenopausal woman what advice would I be giving out?
At work:
Keep in a bag in a drawer under your desk, in a locker or wherever, a pair of pants, trousers, wipes & emergency sanitary protection. No need for that embarrassing email asking for half an hour to nip to the shops.
Period pants; much more affordable nowadays & I find that they are more of a flood defence! No need for the office chair to get it when the period pants can catch it.
Spend some wellbeing budget on some emergency sanitary protection in the toilets. No need for you to be responsible for everything, but occasionally our bodies take us by surprise. Knowing that there was one toilet in the building available in a time of need would be like the hot water bottle moment; such a tiny little thing, but so so valuable.
Be open with colleagues. The crippling anxiety I felt at work was so exhausting. I sat in my car at break times to give me the minutes I needed to get myself together and not talk to anyone.
At home:
Symptom tracking. Many apps out there which allow you to track your symptoms over many months if need be. From these apps you can then download a report which you can take to your GP in order to discuss your options.
Keep your lifestyle in check. I’m by no means telling you to ditch that Friday evening glass of wine & cut out sugar on days ending in a Y, but by being responsible for yourself now, your future self will thank you. I have now started on HRT. I know my body, I know my family history. When I (hopefully) get to 70 years old and I’m clear of signs of osteoporosis, heart disease & dementia I will remember to thank my 45 year old self for making that decision.
Talk to your female family members. What was their experience? Early, late, usual, didn’t notice? Any funny stories they could tell you about how one day they found Auntie sitting in a puddle in the rain crying because she couldn’t find her way home, or how one day a cousin said ‘enough is enough’ & booked a one way ticket to Spain to live as they just couldn’t take their partners snoring anymore. You may find that older members of your family don’t put this down to menopause, more a change of heart, or midlife crisis, but we now know more about the impact of hormones on our bodies.
Lastly; here is a link to a 12 page document on line that is my gift to you as the best, most concise starting point for you to take back to work. You’ve read a personal impact story, you’ve seen some statistics, and you’ve seen why now, in 2023, it is important that we keep our women in work, keep them healthy and engaged & support them through this period of life. Once the ‘Out Of Service’ sign has been raised on our reproductive organs, it is no longer a time to sit indoors & wait 10 years to die. Women have many years left in the workplace & then many years beyond that to enjoy & flourish.
Menopause is not the end; it’s a new beginning.