Women's health at work: let's talk menopause

Every, yes virtually every woman - i.e. half of the world's population goes in through menopause at some point during their life. If this happens to approximately 3.9 billion people on this planet, how is it possible that we don't talk about it? A recent study reported: Only 9% of women reported discussing it with their own mothers.

Facts and figures on menopause

According to a Female Founders Fund survey from 2020, 78% of women surveyed said menopause had interfered with their lives, and 64% felt unprepared for menopause. The medical community isn't necessarily helping; 32% of women surveyed said they think their doctor isn't comfortable talking about menopause, causing them to look elsewhere for support.

With so little known about menopause, especially perimenopause, let's shine some light on the definitions.

• Menopause itself officially occurs when you stop menstruating for 12 consecutive months.

• Perimenopause is the period before you transition into menopause. On average, women have perimenopausal symptoms for about four years before they stop menstruating; however, this period may be much shorter or much longer for some.

For some women, it can be more than 12 years before the symptoms are over.

The median age of menopause is 51 years old. Most women experience vasomotor symptoms, but it also affects many other body areas such as urogenital, psychogenic, and cardiovascular.

Whereas we often believe menopause is something for 50+-year-old women, as we can learn from the above statistics, the symptoms of menopause will start in most cases much earlier. And 1 in 100 women experiences early menopause before 40 years.

Symptoms and level of disturbance in a woman's life

20% of women go through (peri)menopause without any trouble, while 25% of women will experience severe debilitating symptoms. Most women get significant symptoms, and knowledge and support are a must to make this period of her life lighter and more bearable.

So what are the symptoms we can expect?

• Almost half of the menopausal women say they feel depressed

• A third of women say they suffer from anxiety

• Feel as though they are going mad

• Hot flashes

• Poor sleep

• Night sweats

• Moodiness

• Weight gain

• Poor libido

• Forgetfulness and poor concentration

More awareness and change in the workplace are needed.

Luckily slowly, there is increased awareness surrounding this topic, and thanks to some stars opening up about their experiences with menopause, more discussions and governments have started to realize the importance of this topic, as do companies.

The fact that companies have started to prioritize this topic shows that the current situation isn't where it should be.
At work:

• 72% of women in work say they feel unsupported

• 9 out of 10 women say they feel unable to talk to managers at work

• 1 in 5 take time off to deal with menopausal symptoms, 1 in 50 are on long-term sick leave

As a result of a woman feeling inadequate, she may begin to doubt herself and her abilities. As a result, more than 10% of women who have worked through menopause left their job due to symptoms. Another 14% of women had reduced their hours at work, 14% had gone part-time, and 8% had not applied for promotion.

We know that company profits go up with more women at the top. To reach that, it's key to consider what's happening to women in that age category. (Peri)Menopausal women, generally, have gained significant knowledge and experience in their jobs. In particular, supporting colleagues experiencing menopause is crucial to talent retention within the industry. Women 55 to 64 years are going up from 38% to 47%, and they carry endless valuable knowledge. You don't want to lose them.

Let's ban the stigma and secrecy around menopause in the workplace!

Talking about menopause should be a normal and natural conversation. Managing the effects of menopause at work is essential for both employers and their staff. For the women experiencing symptoms, it can be difficult and stressful, so support from the employer is vital to make them feel heard and understood.

Although menopause is only experienced by women and other people with a menstrual cycle, providing support and awareness for co-workers, line managers, and partners is also essential. Supporting and creating a positive and open environment between an employer and someone affected by menopause can help prevent the person from:

• losing confidence in their skills and abilities

• feeling like they need to take time off work and hide the reasons for it

• having increased mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety, and depression

• leaving their job

Create change now

That's why Silatha offers companies support in designing a workplace where women* feel accepted, trusted, and valued to perform at their best, to attract, retain, and nurture top women talent. We bring women that are going through (peri)menopause together and create allyship and a safe space for them within the company. They also receive support from experts helping them through this period of their life with more balance and well-being so that they can perform at their best and be more likely to stay in the workforce.

Being able to talk about the (peri)menopause experience openly, and admit you're not feeling at your best, makes her feel empowered.

As we are all getting older, women are spending up to one-third of their lives in post-menopause. This is not a bad thing. Getting through menopause brings a sense of relief. 59% of postmenopausal women reported feeling relieved or happy, compared with 29% of menopausal women and 19% of perimenopausal women.

Women that have gone through menopause feel stronger and more confident and can be the top performers in your company. Let's make sure they do not leave before.