What a great journey this has been with you all! I am pleased to bring you the 4th and final post in the menopause series.
Table of Contents
What is the expected workplace demeanour? Confidence, poise, being in control and on top of your game? Would you be comfortable discussing your menopausal status at work? If not, could it be due to fear of stigmatisation, not taken seriously, or you believe the workplace is not appropriate to talk about menopause?
Menopause ultimately impacts every aspect of a woman’s life, including being a professional!
Menopause and Workplace
A whopping 49.8% of the global population is female and 53% of the labour force are women! This was why The Female Founders Fund emphatically stated that employers’ positive response to the needs of women experiencing menopause is in the corporate world best interest.
Dr Ros Altmann, encouraged employers to understand menopause, openly talk about it and appreciate the advantage of their female work force.
Collette Stevenson, MSP, debated work flexibility for women who are mostly affected by menopausal symptoms in the Scottish parliament.
This is good evidence that there are some powerful voices speaking up for women going through menopause.
Menopause can cause irritability, confusion, lethargy, memory loss or brain fog, depression, and reduced confidence. These are also the most common symptoms impacting women at the workplace. It is important to note that there are other plausible causes of these symptoms, including: changes in relationships, children getting older, health issues and or career challenges.
I believe employers can support women in many ways by creating a work culture that encourages showing empathy and understanding to women going through menopause, avoid being insensitive and jokey about this normal life event.
Most companies have a menopause policy, it might be worthwhile checking if yours do and if not, how about championing one!
Menopausal stage of a woman’s life is to be celebrated and enjoyed!
@healthyebonywoman
In as much as there is strong advocacy for creating a conducive workplace for menopausal women, I strongly believe we can incorporate personal coping strategies to help stay on top of our game, for example:
- Double-checking your work.
- Making notes of tasks.
- Distraction.
- Making light of matters.
- Exercise, adequate sleep and healthy eating.
- Have a chat with your employer about changing working hours and introduce flexibility to your assigned tasks.
Once again, it has been an immense pleasure to share the menopausal journey of three women in this blog series. All three of them talked about how helpful it was to share with other women within their circle of friends, swapping menopause experience and tips.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Quite a few women opted for the hormone replacement therapy (HRT) solely to help cope better with work. In a survey done, half of the women who took part reported it helped them cope better. Aside from easing off menopausal symptoms, HRT, prevents cardiovascular diseases in menopausal women.
There are various HRT options available for different stages of menopause, why not arrange a chat with your GP/ Advanced Nurse Practitioner or you can also be referred to a menopausal clinic if HRT has not helped improve your symptoms.
Hormone Replacement Therapy And Black Women
Black women have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, as fully discussed in my blog post. There is a small increased risk of breast cancer with HRT use, especially if taken for a period of time. Black women, however, have an overall lower risk of developing breast cancer, therefore HRT’s benefits outweigh its risks.
Final Words
I would like to end this blog series with final words from our women who are at different stages of the menopause journey.
Temi said, “Menopause was a mind over matter for me. You can choose to embrace what comes or struggle through it.
Kiki said, “womanhood and everything about it is a blessing and meant to be enjoyed, that is the perspective I live from”.
And from me… Menopausal phase of a woman’s life is to be celebrated and enjoyed, get all the needed information, and make the best use of all available support as discussed in this series, then set your mind on having the best time of your menopausal life!
Very enlightening. Wasn’t aware of menopause policy! Thanks for sharing
It’s always a priviledge and yes, some workplaces have menopause policy even the NHS!
Good day! I just want to offer you a big thumbs up for your excellent information you have got here on this post. Ill be coming back to your blog for more soon.