Celebrating World Menopause Day
Gabbi Stopp FGE FCG
Global employee equity geek, nonprofit leader, public speaker, Masters student, former grantmaking foundation CEO.
As someone who, in hindsight, has been perimenopausal for the past four years it is an immense relief to see the taboos around menopause being – finally – lifted, especially with today (18 October) being World Menopause Day.
When my symptoms started to really get on top of me in the summer of last year, I didn’t even think it could be the menopause. I was ‘only’ in my early forties, I’d started a stretching new job in January, and in the UK we’d been in lockdown for a couple of months: I figured that either I was having a delayed case of Imposter Syndrome or that as nobody else was having a good time mid-lockdown, why should I be exempt? It was only after opening up to a very good friend of mine about just how awful I was feeling that it even occurred to me that I could be in or approaching menopause.
I’d long suffered with crashing headaches around ‘that time of the month’ and had for some time been struggling to sleep beyond 3am most nights, which I put down to stress. I then started having isolated but intense hot flushes, once memorably whilst out for my husband’s birthday dinner on quite a chilly evening, where I suddenly had to bolt out of the restaurant for some cold air or face what felt like spontaneous combustion! Then came the waves of what I can only describe as white-hot RAGE followed by tears and very down periods. It was horrible: and frightening. I felt like I was losing my self, my personality was changing out of all recognition and I didn’t know what was causing it or how to make it stop. My husband was supportive and kind but understandably had no more idea of what was going on than I did.
It wasn’t until speaking to my friend – who’d navigated these rapids herself not so long before – that I started to join the dots. I downloaded a symptoms tracker and monitored what was going on for a few months, and also read up on the latest guidance around treatments for menopause, including HRT. I asked my mum about her experience and my grandmother’s, and finally the penny dropped.
Menopause is said to have been reached when a woman has not menstruated for at least 12 months; the perimenopausal period leading up to that point can last for ten years (I didn't know this!), and the average age of menopause in the UK is 51. It can be triggered much earlier than that by cancer treatment such as chemotherapy, and by certain medical conditions and surgeries.
When I cast my mind back to school I don’t recall ever spending any time learning about the menopause; plenty of course on sex education, but nothing on what happens when all those hormones start grinding to a halt. What then? If only I’d known that what I was experiencing could be menopause, I wouldn’t have dismissed my symptoms as unconnected or have waited so long before approaching my GP for help.
When I contacted my GP I was fortunate in that I had a very positive experience: an online triage process, a phone call with the GP (who was sympathetic and kind but admittedly not up to date on the latest HRT formulations), and then a further phone call and prescription for HRT via the practice’s menopause specialist. I started feeling better and more like my old self within a fortnight (at last a good night's sleep!), and couldn’t quite believe my good fortune. I’d joined an online support group and was aghast at the range of experiences, most alarmingly less than positive.
One of the things that troubles me the most about the out-of-date views on HRT and its safety is that whilst some women have very good reasons for not taking it (e.g. survivors of certain types of breast cancer), many others who could be benefitting from HRT have been scared off using it for no good reason, and the myths persist. Diabetics take the hormone insulin to keep them healthy, why shouldn’t a menopausal woman take Hormone Replacement Therapy to replace the hormones her body was struggling to make?
Ironically, for me the biggest benefit in taking HRT is completely invisible: there is a history of osteoporosis in my family, and HRT, specifically its oestrogen component, is a very important factor in maintaining bone density. A good diet (including plenty of calcium and vitamin D) and regular weight-bearing exercise also have roles to play but these aren’t always enough. Estimates cited in research published by the Royal College of Physicians indicate that 50% of women in the UK aged over 50 years will experience osteoporosis-related fracture; and the common hip fracture is the most devastating of these due to consequent disability, pain and costs to the NHS, not to mention the personal impact to the individual in terms of mobility, social isolation and reduced ability to live independently.
Why am I writing a LinkedIn piece about menopause? It’s not Facebook, after all, and many people (who probably already stopped reading way before this point) may feel uncomfortable with such personal health-related disclosure on what is after all a business and work-related forum.
I’m writing about menopause here because the cloak of silence on the topic drives menopausal women out of the workplace, because they can’t magic their symptoms away, because still too many of their bosses (male AND female) are uncomfortable talking about the subject, because their employers don’t have menopause policies in place, and a myriad other reasons. Recent research by Newson Health Research and Education found that 59% of women had taken time off work due to their symptoms, and 12% had even felt driven to resign or take early retirement.
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This is a massive waste of talent, time and money. So what can we do about it?
1.??????If you’re an employer and you don’t know how to broach the topic of menopause in the workplace, this is a good place to find materials and advice designed specifically for corporates;
2.??????If you’re an individual wanting to know more about how the menopause may affect you or someone you love, you can find lots of bitesize information here on The Menopause Charity’s website;
3.??????And, if you’re in my network and struggling and just want a sympathetic ear or sounding board, please message me, in complete confidence. You are not alone.
Sources of information and help:
Global Corporate Services
3 年Great read Gabbi, I talk about my own experience whenever I can. I hope to help others to talk about it, get access to good information and guidance to take to your GP as many GP’s are out of date or completely in denial (I struck lucky with the second one I saw, but without persistence if I’d stayed with the first GP I’d be no better off now).
Working with philanthropists to create a world fit for every child | Leading the Every Child Circle & shares donations at UNICEF UK | UNICEF Major Gifts Leadership Academy - Class of 2024
3 年Thank you for sharing your experience Gabbi Stopp FCG I know that I and many others, women and men, will find your signposting so helpful
Inspiring Commercial & Financial Leader
3 年Thanks so much for sharing Gabbi. Really insightful and no doubt will be helpful and a comfort to many. Hopefully the world will turn a corner really soon on this.
Passionate advocate of excellence in teaching. Determined to work towards a more equal world. Coach. Information & knowledge addict. Technophile. Values conversations.
3 年Gabbi - a fantastic article. Thank you for writing and sharing.
Non Executive Director
3 年Well done, Gabbi for speaking up about this important topic - and you are right - it can affect women in the office/at work. It is important more information is shared about this.