Four out of every five women will experience symptoms relating to the menopause. These are not always the night sweats and hot flushes, which perhaps are the most famous menopausal symptoms. One in four women will experience severe symptoms.
Unless a woman had her ovaries surgically removed as a young child (before puberty), all women experience menopause either when they stop having menstrual periods (in the majority of cases) or if and when their ovaries are surgically removed.
Most women officially reach menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, and symptoms can last between two and 10 years. It’s possible for symptoms to start as early as 35 years of age, before officially reaching menopause.
The experience of menopause is influenced by beliefs and values prevalent in the sociocultural setting, the background of the women, and the ways in which the women approach changes in this phase of life.
The experience of menopause is characterized by personal challenges and changes in personal roles within the family and society. Hot flushes and night sweats are the strongest symptoms of those reported by women affected by the changes experienced during menopause.
The systematic review shows that menopause is a stage of life experienced in different ways. The experience of menopause is characterized by personal challenges and changes in personal roles within the family and society.
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reports that an estimated 6,000 U.S. women reach menopause every day (over 2 million per year). An average of 27 million women between the ages of 45 and 64, or 20% of the American workforce, experience menopause each year. By 2018, nearly 31 million women in the menopausal age range will be ...
Most women officially reach menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, and symptoms can last between two and 10 years. It’s possible for symptoms to start as early as 35 years of age, before officially reaching menopause.
Appoint a person–or several–to act as advocates for women in the workplace going through menopause. This person would know about all of the special absence allowances, related wellness programs, and flex policies. They could also speak to leadership or management on behalf of women if needed or requested. This advocate could come from any department at any level; it would only depend on their personality fit and interest in the role.
Some organizations have wellness support programs for their employees, which include a contact number for a resource of coaches, dieticians, and other advisers. Employees can call this hotline for support in health-related manners such as losing weight, quitting smoking, or getting more physically fit.
In addition to hot flashes and insomnia, women also experience headaches, loss of energy, anxiety attacks, brain fog, aches and pains, and dry skin and eyes. This translates to 20% of the workforce potentially being at work without enough sleep, sweating to death at their desks with intermittent headaches, no energy, and an achy body.
This is a no-brainer that often goes overlooked. While managers are trained in subjects like conflict management and finances, they’re not usually trained in dealing with menopause. They should know the symptoms and challenges women face during menopause so they can approach the situation knowledgeably and with compassion.
Four out of every five women will experience symptoms relating to the menopause. These are not always the night sweats and hot flushes, which perhaps are the most famous menopausal symptoms. One in four women will experience severe symptoms.
The impact of the menopause on your work and in the workplace should not be underestimated. Over 70% of women between the ages of 16 and 64 are currently working, in comparison to 53% in 1971 and every one of these women will either have gone through or will go through the menopause.
The menopause has the potential to be a highly disruptive time – hormonal changes can bring a host of symptoms such as low mood, anxiety, sleep problems.
We, as a society, seem to be kinder, or perhaps just more understanding, of our adolescents than we are to menopausal women. Puberty takes a period of years, and so does the perimenopause, the period of time leading up to the menopause.
If you have not had depression or anxiety which required treatment in the past then it is likely that any changes in mood or anxiety around the meno pause are likely to be related to the hormone changes of the menopause itself.