What is menopause?
Menopause is a natural part of a woman’s life cycle, and this typically starts anywhere from the age of 45 years old but can be much earlier. Menopause has 3 stages: perimenopause, menopause and post menopause. Perimenopause can start from age 40 and symptoms can last for 8-10 years; this is where a woman’s hormone levels start to decrease and her abilities to reproduce lessen. Menopause typically starts anywhere from ages 45 -50 and this is where a woman’s reproductive abilities end and they will no longer experience menstruation (periods). Post menopause is the stage directly following menopause.
Alongside the natural menopause stage, menopause can also be induced through surgery, medicines or gender reassignment treatment.
How does menopause impact women?
Symptoms of menopause can be extremely varied and each person will experience symptoms as individual as they are. Currently there are around 50 documented symptoms of menopause but this list is not exhaustive, and some women may experience very severe symptoms, while others appear to “sail through” their menopause with little impact. The key features of menopause symptoms are that they affect both physical and psychological wellbeing; most people report that they find the psychological symptoms more difficult to manage than the physical symptoms (The Menopause Charity 2023).
Menopause and work
It is estimated that there are 4 million women aged 45-55 employed in the UK, and that women over 50 are a significant & growing percentage of the workforce (CIPD 2020). This means there is a huge number of women who may be impacted negatively by the effects of perimenopause and menopause. In fact, surveys conducted have shown that 1 in 6 of these women have considered leaving their employment directly due to their menopause symptoms (CIPD 2023). Others have reported feeling less productive and over half have taken sick leave directly due to their menopause symptoms (Local Government Association 2024). These statistics show that menopause can potentially have a significant impact on a workplace.
What workplaces can do
Workplaces can help women through introducing a menopause policy which is supportive and effective in enabling women to stay in work while managing menopause symptoms. Menopause policies have been shown to have huge benefits on recruitment and retainment of staff, promoting a supportive workplace and help employers avoid discriminatory practices which may lead to discrimination-based claims under the Equality Act 2010.
How occupational health can help support employers and employees…
Occupational health is a valuable resource that can help support managers and employees by providing impartial guidance on reasonable adjustments to help enable people to feel supported, and to manage any difficult menopause symptoms.
Choose Occupational Health can help to reduce potential absence, provide signposting to services, and also provide guidance on how to best help and support all employees who may be impacted by menopause whether this be the person directly, colleagues or managers. We are there to help and support managers and employers to ensure they have a happy, healthy and effective workforce for all!
For further information about the support we can offer you contact the Choose team on 01228 513687 or office@chooseohco.uk