I was lucky to attend some of the sessions at the People Power Event in Newcastle a couple of days ago. One of them was run by Miss Menopause (aka Sharon McArthur). I was a bit disappointed that she didn’t begin her presentation by asking us what we call our vagina – a common intro for her apparently!!! The question would have applied to all of us in the room as, apart from one late arrival, the audience was entirely female. Not unusual probably.
Sharon is happy to speak to pretty much anyone on the subject of menopause, and spends her time at conferences like this, small and large businesses, across social media, and, indeed, local radio. Her message was clear – we don’t talk about the menopause enough. And, with all women who had had periods destined to go through this time of life, you might ask why it is that only 3% of business actively recognise some of the issues it can cause? According to Sharon, it was only in 2015 that NICE issued guidance to GPs on how to offer support to patients. So, for many women, even when they sought medical help, their needs weren’t recognised.
Many of us are familiar with some of the symptoms that fluctuating hormone levels can cause. According to Sharon’s research, women have named 76 of them. Many of them are physical, and quite commonly recognised such as hot flushes. Some are psychological, eg increased anxiety for no apparent reason – the top one cited by many women. And, some are simply the result of going through a major life change – indeed it’s this last one that prompted me to start this blog as it seemed to be the area even less ‘out there’ than the physical and emotional symptoms.
In an era when women are in the work place for longer – pension changes, social norms changing, life expectancy growing – it seems many businesses are missing a trick in not applying some focus on older women. (Some women have an early menopause for many reasons, but the average ag is 51). I’m not really sure why it’s not recognised as an issue other than there are still fewer women than men in positions of authority across all sectors and, for many men, the menopause just doesn’t feature on their radar. Or, does the issue start much earlier in life with ‘the talk’ on periods at school. The boys of my generation who were excluded from this talk are the leaders, managers, CEOs of business today. If they weren’t educated back then, that’s a life pattern set which could be hard to break. It results in the major loss of talent from organisations as women remove themselves believing we’re no longer capable of fulfilling our role. For those who stay, many may function below par as the changes our bodies go through clouds our thinking, exhausts us physically and leaves us isolated because no one acknowledges it.
Sharon’s session wasn’t long enough at the conference to flesh out how this situation can be fixed, so here are some thoughts;
- We have to keep talking about the menopause – it’s a natural process that all we women will go through and it shouldn’t carry stigma.
- Organisations and businesses need to keep inviting champions such as Sharon to help them bread some taboos.
- We need to share our experiences with those close to us, explain why we might be struggling with certain things.
- We need to be proactive in seeking support from medical staff when we need to
- Join other like-minded women to support each other. Sharon has a FB page under Miss Menopause.
- Policy at every level should take into account its impact on women in the menopause. Unintended consequences such as the change in pension age need to be recognised sooner.
- The well-being and mental health agenda should be expanded to feature the menopause.
Strictly speaking, the term menopause simply means not having a period for 12 consecutive months. After this, we’re termed as being post-menopausal, even though the symptoms (or the magic as Sharon calls it!) don’t stop there. Some of the women Sharon has met on her odyssey have been in their late 80s and 90s, and still have symptoms. However, she was quick to reassure us that the average length of the menopause is 7 years. For some, it’ll be a breeze and there’ll be no major impact. For many, the changes will be dramatic and possible sudden. So, you’re not the only one, and no, we’re not going mad, we’re simply going through a natural process. However, we don’t need to suffer in silence. Sharon urged everyone to seek medical advice where necessary, and ensure we speak to someone appropriate who will take us seriously. Whilst this period in our lives can be life-changing, we don’t have to go it alone and we can help change lives for generations to come.
Thank you, Sharon, for bringing the subject of the menopause to life in such a candid and, well, normal conversation. And, thank you to People Power for being far sighted enough to include Sharon in your list of speakers. We look forward to many other local businesses inviting her along to the board room too!
Quaintrelle 