Employers must do more to keep menopausal women in the workforce

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The writer is the author of ‘Everything you need to know about menopause (but they were too afraid to ask)’

The history of menopause at work is the history of the annihilation of women. Literally, research shows that one in 10 working women in the UK aged between 45 and 55 have left a job due to menopausal symptoms. And it does not have to be that way.

What is happening to middle-aged women in the workplace now, and has happened in silence for years, is an unnecessary loss to all of society. That’s counted in lost work days, worth an estimated $2 billion a year in the US, according to the Mayo Clinic. study – as well as a decline in women at all levels of society, from board directors to doctors and teachers. Finding better ways to manage menopause at work is a no-brainer.

Menopause happens naturally to all women (at age 51 on average in the UK and US) due to hormone deficiency when the menstrual cycle ends. Symptoms, some of which can last for the rest of your life, range from hot flashes and trouble sleeping to memory and concentration problems. This has led to experienced women leaving the workforce due to factors ranging from uncaring employers, taboos against speaking up, to misunderstandings about the safety of hormone replacement therapy.

But change is underway, and a better understanding of menopause is at a tipping point. I am part of the movement that is helping to break this taboo, working with broadcaster Channel 4 to produce two documentaries, collaborating with the gender equality charity Fawcett Society on a survey, giving talks to employers and writing a book with support scientist. information.

The Fawcett Society investigation has revealed that for years society has criticized women around their symptoms: visible hot flashes were almost the least of it. Instead, the women told us how seriously their mental health was affected: 84 percent suffered from insomnia and exhaustion; 73 percent brain fog and poor memory; 69 percent anxiety and low mood. Memory loss, in particular, leads to a sudden loss of confidence at work: losing your train of thought in the middle of PowerPoint is humiliating. The timing of menopause couldn’t be more unfortunate: just as the demands for child care may decrease, such women may become more committed to a cause or career.

However, I have seen two big improvements in recent years. One is that menopause is the new black: Every HR department and diversity and inclusion leader is suddenly embracing the conversation.

The other is that HRT is no longer the bogeyman it once was. Scary headlines about links to breast cancer have been debunked and the UK health service reports that the benefits of HRT outweigh the risks for most women. New treatments that use an exact copy of a woman’s hormones further reduce the risks. And, after researching the evidence, she would say that for women in demanding professional jobs, the benefits far outweigh the risks.

A mysterious masochism around menopause is also beginning to dissipate. The women felt they should get on without HRT, when that would keep them fit. When I speak to large employers, I explain how menopause is not just a “transition,” but a long-term hormone deficiency that actually changes the way female brains work, as the estrogen that feeds them is drained.

Talking to a room staff, often one or two women realize they’re not crazy, it’s just menopause. Or perimenopause, when it may not be clear what is happening because women in their forties still have their periods. Meanwhile, the men at the end of the room often seem embarrassed at first, before accepting the good news about science and HRT.

It may surprise you that the question I get asked the most is: “How do I explain this to my GP?” If doctors had been better educated on menopause, they would be explaining, but menopause will. It will only be mandatory in medical schools starting next year. Many doctors are experts, but some still don’t understand the intricacies of prescribing different types of HRT.

Now that the taboo is gone, with Oprah Winfrey and Drew Barrymore discussing menopause on daytime TV and MPs debating access to HRT in Parliament, the battle is more medical than cultural, but some employers just don’t. they understand. Many smugly tout flashy policies, involving working from home or fans at desks, but it really should be about getting women on HRT and helping the minority who can’t use hormone replacement to improve nutrition, exercise and lifestyle. Simply changing company health insurance to include menopause care is a small cost to long-term retention savings.

The destruction due to menopause must end with this good news: the new HRT now available is the greatest advance for women’s health, freedom, and career since the birth control pill. We should embrace that choice and the wise female workforce that it brings.

@menoscandal (instagram and Twitter)