Menopause Awareness with Right at Home UK
Published: 05/10/2022
This Menopause Awareness Month, we have launched our Menopause Makes A Difference Campaign to challenge the stigma surrounding menopause and encourage our employees to talk openly about what they might be going through.
Why is menopause awareness important to Right at Home UK?
At Right at Home National Office, nearly 70% of our workforce are female and likely to experience menopause in their lifetime. It’s therefore important to us to provide employees with menopause information, advice and guidance that will support them going through this change. While empowering our employees, we also want to educate those who may not experience it and inform them on how this affects people’s day-to-day lives.
Understanding menopause
Many see this as a taboo topic that we should avoid talking about - but it's a natural part of ageing so it’s important for us to understand it and feel comfortable discussing it. Medically, menopause is the day someone hasn’t had a period for 12 months in a row because their ovaries have stopped making eggs. Most people use the term “menopause” to refer to the time menstrual periods become irregular and stop.
Menopause can affect anyone who experiences periods, including trans men and people who are non-binary, making up around 51% of the population. The average age for menopause is between 45-55 but it can happen earlier or later for some. Menopause symptoms can last from three months up to 10 years but some symptoms, such as hot flushes, may be experienced years after menopause.
Signs and symptoms of menopause
Due to changes in hormone levels, there is a wide range of symptoms someone experiencing menopause may encounter. Everyone’s journey will be different, from duration, type of symptoms, severity of symptoms and age at onset.
The most common menopause signs are:
- Mood changes/anxiety
- Heart palpitations
- Sleep issues
- Night sweats
- Tiredness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Hot flushes
- Needing the toilet more
- Poor memory/brain fog
- Loss of confidence
- Headaches
Our Head of Systems, Jenny, has recently experienced menopause and opened up to us about the symptoms she experienced and how this made her feel:
Jenny | Head of Systems, RaH UK"Menopause was tough at first. I experienced fatigue to the point where at one stage I felt I needed to lie down most lunchtimes, which was something I've never experienced before. I also experienced high levels of anxiety. I've never been an anxious person but that went through the roof during menopause. In the early days, my memory was absolutely shocking as well. It's still quite bad, but I’m learning to manage it, by using practical methods such as checklists and voice memos. Unfortunately, a lot of the time, you can’t avoid the symptoms, but we’re lucky to be living in a time when there is so much more help available. So make use of the support out there and find the best solution for you."
Why should we talk about menopause?
Menopause can be emotionally and physically challenging. Part of the problem is people sometimes feel uncomfortable or embarrassed talking about menopause, but it is a natural part of ageing for any female, transgender or non-binary person.
The more we talk about it, the more this stigma will be reduced. It’s important for everyone to talk about it, not just people who experience it first-hand. Your family, friends and colleagues will appreciate the support you can give as you educate yourself on the topic.
Jenny found that having open conversations about menopause helped her through the experience: “Have the conversations early. If you are around that age, recognise that you're not going to avoid it and it is going to happen to you. So just get out there and be comfortable talking about it with friends, family, colleagues or whoever makes you feel supported.”
What support is available for people experiencing menopause?
There is a variety of charities, support groups and associations that are experts in menopause. They can help you compose your feelings, meet others going through menopause and learn coping strategies. There is also a wealth of books, podcasts and resources that can offer you guidance around menopause. Here are some of our favourites:
The Dr Louise Newson Podcast: Created by the founder of The Menopause Charity and Balance app, this weekly podcast helps listeners find unbiased, evidence-based, and holistic advice and treatment.
The Happy Menopause Podcast: This weekly podcast aims to debunk common myths and offer practical advice on dealing with the changes menopause brings, featuring expert guest speakers each episode.
The Positive Perimenopause Podcast: The weekly podcast is hosted by Polly Warren, a professional menopause coach who delivers training for individuals and businesses across the UK. Each episode opens conversations on a new topic.
Books:
- Perimenopause Power - Maisie Hill
- The Good Menopause Guide - Liz Earle
- Confessions of a Menopausal Woman - Andrea McLean
- Cracking the Menopause - Mariella Frostrup and Alice Smellie
- Preparing for the Perimenopause and Menopause - Dr Louise Newson
Menopause Café: Hosting menopause events across the UK, this support-style group is a great place to find people in your area who are experts or have support to offer locally. Using their website you can find upcoming events in your area. You could also host your own event and build your own community of people going through the same things you are.
We pride ourselves on supporting our employees through all stages of their life, which is why we offer Menopause Training to ensure that all our network, whether they will experience menopause or not, understand the effects of it and can offer you support or point you in the right direction should you need guidance.
If you want to learn more about living well with menopause, visit our Menopause Awareness Page where you can download our Pause for Menopause guide, which is full of handy hints and tips to help make living with menopause that bit easier.
