Lorna McKnight - Menopause Awareness Month

This week’s podcast is by Lorna McKnight, HR Manager for Scotland & Northern Regions. Lorna starts this month’s theme “Menopause Awareness Month”.

Transcript

Hi, my name is Lorna McKnight and I am the Regional HR Manager for Scotland and Northern Regions.

I have been asked to promote our topic of the month for October which is Menopause Awareness Month.

World Menopause Day is held annually on 18 October and it aims to break taboo and improve women's health and wellbeing by raising awareness about the symptoms of menopause and the support options available.

So, what is menopause?

Every woman will experience menopause – but their experience of menopause is unique to the individual, which is the main reason why there’s so much confusion about symptoms and treatment.

Put simply, menopause refers to the time when a woman stops having periods and can no longer get pregnant naturally. This occurs because the ovaries stop producing eggs and as a result levels of the hormones they produce (oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone) fall.

Menopause actually refers to the single day which marks 12 consecutive months without a period. The transition phase before this is called perimenopause, which lasts on average four years and in some cases a lot longer. Menopause typically occurs between ages 45 and 55, with the average age in the UK being 51.

However, someone may experience the menopause much earlier. The onset of menopause can be related to age, medical treatments or conditions. If menopause happens before 45 years of age it is called premature or early menopause.

Some women do not experience any symptoms, but the majority of women will, and this can really impact on both physical and mental aspects of your life including relationships, work, and activities. The symptoms can range from being mild to debilitating.

During perimenopause, some women may continue to have regular periods but experience symptoms of menopause. Many women may find these symptoms distressing and confusing as they are not aware that you can experience menopausal symptoms whilst still having periods.

Speak to your GP if you feel this could be you and you would like more information on how to manage this, as there is a lot of help readily available. Some women also find it helpful to keep a diary of their periods and the symptoms they are experiencing.

Did you know there are more than 30 recognised symptoms of menopause and on average women will experience nine of these.

The top 10 symptoms of perimenopause and menopause are:

· Period Changes

· Hot flushes & Night Sweats

· Stress & Anxiety

· Sleeping Problems

· Weight Gain

· Brain Fog & Poor Concentration

· Skin & Hair Changes

· Mood Changes

· Low Energy

· Joint & Muscle Aches

For many women, Perimenopause and Menopause can be a life changing and isolating experience. But by raising awareness and education we hope to support women in joining the dots as they understand the connection between their symptoms and midlife hormone fluctuations.

If you would like to find out more about Women’s Health, please sign up to one of the online health webinars taking place on 9th and 14th October, to register your place please email Emma Murdock.

And there is also Men’s Health online Health Webinars taking place on 13th and 26th November, covering a range of topics impacting men’s health.

Thank you for listening.