In recent years, menopause has finally emerged from the shadows of taboo and silence, becoming a topic of increasing public discourse. This newfound openness is a welcome change, as it encourages a more comprehensive understanding of women’s health and the challenges that come with menopause. Josephine Ornago, OutspokenPR explains.
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With an estimated 13 million individuals currently peri or menopausal in the UK alone—equivalent to a third of the entire UK female population -this conversation is more relevant than ever.
For medtech businesses, this shift presents a significant opportunity. Numerous companies are developing solutions aimed at alleviating common menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, mood changes, and insomnia.
However, as we embrace these advancements, the communications function must tread carefully not to spill over into the medicalisation of menopause. Menopause is not an illness but a natural stage in a woman's life. While it's essential to highlight the role of tools and medications to make this transition more manageable, it's equally important to ensure that the narrative around menopause does not pathologise it. A recent Lancet Series on menopause calls for an approach that goes beyond specific treatments to empower women with high-quality information, tools to support decision making, empathic clinical care, and workplace adjustments as needed; the world of communications -both within the workplace and more broadly with the media- can play a key role in ensuring that this approach is embraced broadly.
Effective communication about menopause should strike a balance: normalising the experience without trivialising it. Just as tampons revolutionised menstrual hygiene in the 60s and 70s by making it easier to manage periods, tailored solutions for menopause can help women cope with its symptoms without implying that menopause itself is a condition needing a cure.
In the workplace, the impact of menopause is significant yet often overlooked. Nearly half (44%) of menopausal women report that their symptoms affect their ability to work. Despite this, 80% say their workplace offers no basic support, such as support networks, absence policies, or information sharing. Additionally, a fifth of women who must adhere to a uniform or dress code find it uncomfortable, a figure that rises to 28% among working-class women. This lack of support leads to stigmatisation, with 41% of women witnessing menopause or its symptoms being treated as a joke at work. Consequently, 39% of women who take time off due to menopause cite anxiety or depression on their sick notes rather than revealing their menopause status.
The recently established Menstruation, Menstrual Health, and Menopause in the Workplace standard (BS 30416) tries to address this stigma by offering a framework for workplace adjustments and strategies to support those experiencing menopause. Such measures are crucial to retain the significant number of menopausal women who might otherwise leave the workforce due to insufficient support. In an increasingly ageing population, where women make up an ever greater part of the workforce this is an important driver for the economy. We can’t afford to continue losing women to inadequate maternity policies and then fail to retain those left, when they hit the menopause too!
Media portrayal of menopause has also evolved over the years, hand-in-hand with the gradual destigmatisation of feminine health topics. An analysis of nearly 3,000 articles from the British national press (2010-2021) revealed that early coverage often depicted menopause as a period of biological decline, linking it to serious health issues like cancer, depression, osteoporosis, stroke, asthma, and dementia. This language perpetuated the notion that menopause was an abnormal state of health that women (unsurprisingly!) did not want to be associated to in the work place, or even socially. As a result, instead of speaking out to deal with the unwanted symptoms of the menopause, women struggled on, sweeping as much of their discomfort as possible under the carpet.
In conclusion, while the increased visibility of menopause in public discourse is a positive development, it is therefore vital to maintain a balanced perspective. Menopause should be understood and supported as a natural phase in life, with appropriate tools and strategies to manage its symptoms, without falling into the trap of over-medicalisation. By normalising menopause and ensuring support systems, tools and medication are in place, we can improve the quality of life for millions of women navigating this significant life transition.
