Our workforce is more than 70 per cent female, and so women’s health issues can have an impact on many of our staff. We want to support those who are experiencing menopausal symptoms.

The experience for each person will be different, and can depend on their race, religion and other health inequalities, and this includes trans and intersex colleagues. While the menopause doesn’t begin at a particular age, it usually occurs but between 45 to 55 years of age. But around 1 in 100 women experience the menopause before 40 years of age (and some in their teens or twenties.)

For some, the menopause can pass with no problems. However, most women will experience menopausal symptoms. Some of these can be quite severe and have a significant impact on your everyday activities, including when at work.

Good menopause care, education, signposting, and support from our Trust, along with understanding from managers are crucial and can make a huge difference to how a woman deals with her menopause at work. 

Find out more

Visit the NHS website for more information about the menopause.

You can download the #KnowYourMenopause support pack from the Pausitivity website, which includes a poster for your area.

Books to read

Below are some books which some of colleagues have said they have found helpful, and remember to check out the books available in our library too:

• Menopause - the change for the better - Henpicked 
• Men... Let’s Talk Menopause - Ruth Devlin
• The one stop guide to menopause - Kathy Abernethy
• The Happy Menopause - Smart Nutrition to help you flourish - Jackie Lynch
• Menopause: All you need to know in one concise manual – Dr Louise Newson

Apps to download

• Balance – menopause support
• Squeezy – the NHS pelvic floor muscle exercise app

Henpicked

Henpicked is a website which supports people to get talking about the menopause at work. Some articles you might find interesting include:

• Men and the Menopause
• How Menopause Advocates are changing mindsets

Listen to Henpicked Lunch & Learn sessions, the recordings of which are available on the Henpicked Menopause Hub.  They include a range of topics, from example HRT, bone health, and weight gain.

Watch

To mark World Menopause Day 2021, the British Menopause Society has partnered with ITN Productions Industry News to produce a news-style programme ‘Menopause: The Change is Here’, empowering, supporting and educating women to help provide a better understanding of the menopause transition and its impact, as well as protect their long-term health.