Women need and deserve to be informed about what to expect during the menopause transition before they are hit with the symptoms, the reality is they learn about it too late.
I recently delivered the Menopause 101 Information Session to a group of midlife women. This half-hour session includes fundamental facts about the menopause and an introduction into the basic physiology of the menopause transition. The content illustrates how women are impacted by the hormonal changes in the perimenopause and post-menopausal years.
Participants attending were in both the perimenopause and post-menopausal years. Despite the different stages of their menopause transition, most of them were unaware of the systemic effects of the menopause transition on their overall health and wellbeing.
Thankfully, evidence-based information about menopause is available to women today … if they know where to look for it (i.e., beyond social media). However, many women are not looking for menopause information because they are unaware of their need to know about it. Many women don’t realise that symptoms and changes they are experiencing are related to the menopause transition.
When we consider the lack of health education and health promotion strategies relating to menopause, midlife women are grossly under-served. Let us consider an all-too-common scenario for the thousands of women who have never received any information about menopause. Typically, a woman in her mid-40’s may experience anxiety and mood changes for the first time in her life, or perhaps increased migraines or brain fog. It is highly unlikely that ‘perimenopause’ would be at the front of her mind and without information she is unlikely to connect the dots between her ovaries and these new symptoms.
When it comes to the menopause transition there are some extremely important facts that all women in midlife (and those around them) need to know (beyond hot flushes and night sweats). Many women I talk to tell me they didn’t find out about the physical and emotional changes until they were at the end of their rope and desperately sought help. Typically, women will not present to their GP until they are struggling with multiple symptoms or living in fear that they have a mental health diagnosis. They simply had not been informed about these experiences and symptoms of perimenopause. Thankfully, some women will talk to friends or family about health concerns and subsequently learn snippets of information from those who have gone before them. It would appear however that this is not the reality for many women.
Considering half of the population will experience the menopause and women in their 40’s and 50’s contribute significantly to our families, communities, schools, healthcare services and workplaces, it really is difficult to understand why we do not routinely provide access to quality information and support.
There are numerous menopause advocacy groups like Menopause Experts Group raising awareness and delivering education and I am thankful to play my part in this as a Licensed Champion with Menopause Experts Group here in Australia.
That said, as a health professional with training in Public Health and Menopause Health, I believe that Menopause Awareness should be a fundamental component of today’s health education policy. Facts about the perimenopause should be provided to all women as standard care at the average age of perimenopause, preparing and empowering them to access the support, information and health care they need and deserve. Of course, I am unable to determine the national health policy for menopause, but I am committed to playing my small part in providing women with evidence-based information and support.
So, back to the recent Menopause 101 Information Session I think it’s fair to conclude from the feedback that the collective take home message from the participants was ‘we wish we’d known this sooner’. This is why I provide menopause information and support through Healthy in the Middle and the impetus for writing this blog.
So, there you have my reflections. Here are few comments from the women who participated in the session.
It was a great session. We need these earlier in life to navigate the horror so much better. If only I had known.
Such a great & informative session. I wish I had this information prior to embarking on my menopause journey, everything would have made much more sense.
I am so glad I joined in (I wasn’t going to as I am on the other side of menopause), yet there was so much information that I needed to know.
Wonderful session, you shared your knowledge with such empathy and respect.
If you belong to a workplace or community who would benefit from a menopause education or information event, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me via the contact page. I would love to connect with you and ensure the women in your world have access to essential information and support. You can also subscribe to the Healthy in the Middle newsletter to be informed about future events.
Let me know below if you also found out too late, I would really love to hear from you.
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