In 2021, the M-word (finally!) became a popular topic. Belatedly, politicians, policy-makers, major employers and TV companies finally woke up to the fact that half of the population — women — will experience something called the menopause.
It is not possible to predict the exact nature of their body changes. Menopause, at its worst, can result in ‘brain fog’, forgetfulness, insomnia and ghastly irritability.
Plus night sweats, excruciating headaches and unexpected hot flushes — the list of potentially embarrassing and exhausting side-effects connected with this hormonal change is long, and every woman’s experience is different.
I was relatively lucky, in that I was simply grumpy and in a bad mood for two years, then went on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) — but I know of many who had a truly terrible time.
Heather Currie, Dr. Heather Currie believes every office should have a “menopause champion”, someone that women can turn to for support and advice (file photo).
You may wonder then how the menopause, given its potentially severe impact on a woman’s life and career, has been our Big Secret for so long?
The past was a time when working women were content to get on with their work, calling in sick only occasionally, and not sharing the details of their pain with anyone.
Yet now, experts claim every workplace should have a ‘menopause champion’, someone women can go to for advice and support.
The woman behind the move, Dr Heather Currie, a former head of the British Menopause Society, said it was in employers’ interest to do more.
And while nobody wants to go back to the dark days of menopause being taboo, I’m not entirely sure a ‘champion’ is the solution any of us need.
These champions can offer more than just sympathy. What else could they realistically do to make the life of a women going through menopause easier? Flexibility in hours Do you want to work with others?
If a Menopause Mentor was helping a woman who is seeking promotion, would they take her seriously? Men in the competition would be furious and will no doubt complain about the positive treatment and discrimination.
In my 20s when I first started as a reporter, there was not one woman who had admitted that she went through the menopause. This would have been interpreted as weakness. Career suicide.
Janet Street Porter (pictured) questions whether these heroes can offer more than sympathy to help make the life of a women going through menopause easier.
Imagine Maggie Thatcher, an example of a high-profile woman, calling down from her flat at No. 10, to inform that she was having hot flushes and suffering from a terrible headache.
Thank goodness those days are over and modern society encourages frankness, emphasising the benefits of discussing subjects which were previously taboo — anxiety and depression, and fluid sexual preferences, as well as periods and the menopause.
There’s a World Menopause Day, a menopause parliamentary committee, magazines, podcasts, radio and TV programmes devoted to demystifying the subject.
On ITV’s Loose Women, we’ve held regular debates on the subject as it’s one the vast majority of our viewers relate to — and have experienced.
Women are looking to be understood and not resentful of the rigid rules.
As women have come forward to share their experiences, men are beginning to wake up to the fact that partners need extra support and understanding — even 76-year-old Rod Stewart confessed recently that he hadn’t realised how much his wife Penny was suffering and spoke out in favour of menopause classes for men.
South Tees NHS Trust has taken the initiative and there is no doubt that more will.
If funds allow, the NHS must do more to include and educate men. However, should the Government step in to assist menopausal females by giving them guidelines? While the Civil Service already has a work policy in place, how about smaller businesses and food producers? Are they able to afford additional rules and regulations?
Two government committees as well as Minister for Employment and Department for Health have asked for evidence throughout the year to support the formulation of female-friendly policies.
Janet said every time a woman takes extra time off she could be blighting her promotion chances, and might be seen as unreliable, selfish (file image)
But let’s not delude ourselves, the main reason for this interest in our health and wellbeing is to help employers get more out us.
It’s estimated that 14 million working days a year are lost to the menopause — days when women phone in sick and often make the time up later.
However, should women with pain or debilitating medical conditions have to make up hours? Or lie about being unable to get in the office because they can’t physically do so? It is not. Often these missing hours are replaced at the workers’ own expense, when you could argue they are experiencing a medical condition.
Extra time taken by a woman could hinder her chances of promotion and make her look unreliable or selfish.
The workforce is becoming more important for women of menopausal ages. 70% of all local government workers are women, and three quarters of them are between 40-64 years old. For any boss, it should not be hard to make sure that their workers are supported through the menopause.
However, could the specialized support offered by menopause champions (a new idea) cause animosity among coworkers?
Janet said the Department of Health must do a lot of work to encourage GPs to prescribe HRT more willingly than in the past (file image)
I commend other practical steps such as the private members’ bill introduced by Carolyn Harris MP, which has recently had its second reading and which will drastically reduce the cost of prescriptions for HRT, which doctors now agree has negligible links to cancer, but which can ease your passage through the menopause years.
HRT will help many — but not all — women, get through the menopause and continue working and socialising as before by reducing discomfort and alleviating the worst side-effects. The new law will see us pay for one prescription a year, not once a month, saving more than £200.
This applies only to England. Therefore, the Department of Health should do much to make HRT easier for GPs and to stop trying to justify why women older than 50 shouldn’t use it.
Working longer hours and finding joy is a common trend for women. Women are increasingly occupying managerial and executive posts. But appointing a ‘menopause champion’ in every workplace seems patronising to say the least.
For once (and I never thought I’d write these words), Rod Stewart is right — education is the key to better understanding. It’s taken a long time, but finally the menopause has been included in the school curriculum, along with sex education. The next generation of students will hopefully be more informed and sympathetic.
Janet admits that she can see all the pitfalls of special treatment for menopausal women, while claiming all they really want is understanding and sympathy (file image)
I was a boss in the past and no one ever approached me about the menopause.
I tried to be as flexible as I could when people asked for leave or variations to their working hours, whatever the reason — but when you are editing newspapers to a deadline, or producing live TV shows, it’s not always easy.
So I’m not sure I would have welcomed a menopause champion. People with debilitating symptoms may not have jobs that can be shared, or they may not be able work at home. This is why they may not seek special treatment.
I would have asked all the staff — not just female — to write me emails and suggestions about what they would like to do to help menopausal women.
Even though women are the majority in certain places, the men have to feel that they can help. Women with young children, who spend thousands on childcare and are in the majority of workplaces, should get more time off than women who are menopausal. For parents with special needs teens?
The truth is that almost all workers will experience moments where they feel torn between their personal goals and the demands of their jobs.
All the dangers of special treatment for women who are menopausal can be seen. They want understanding and compassion, not rigid rules that others might resent.