In 2024 menopause is still a taboo subject, even though EVERY woman on the planet will go through perimenopause and menopause at some point in their lives.

Since a woman’s mid-life health journey remains a taboo subject, it stands to reason that there is not enough information or support for women who are going through this phase of their lives.

Not enough people are talking about menopause and how it can impact every aspect of women’s lives, from their personal lives to their professional lives.

This blog will attempt to find solutions on how to best navigate a woman’s mid-life health journey, discussing what perimenopause and menopause are and how women can improve their mid-life experiences.

A Woman’s Mid-Life Health Journey Explained

When we talk about women’s mid-life health, we are typically referring to menopause, however, we must include perimenopause and post-menopause in this conversation.

So let’s understand a bit better these three stages of a woman’s mid-life health journey.

Perimenopause

Perimenopause refers to the period from when the first signs and symptoms of “menopause” are observed and ends one year after the final menstrual period. 

Perimenopause can last several years and can affect a woman’s physical, mental and social well-being.

Menopause

Menopause is marked by the first day without a menstrual cycle to 12 consecutive months with no menstrual cycle. This is a natural occurrence when the ovaries stop producing eggs, usually affecting women between 45 and 55.

Post-Menopause

This is the period after which menopause has occurred.

Women can experience many symptoms similar to perimenopause that can affect their overall health and well-being.

In 2020 a survey by The Female Founders Fund found that 78% of women said that menopause interfered with their lives and 64% of them said that they were unprepared for menopause. 

Another survey in 2021 in the US said only 9% went to their mothers to ask about their own menopause experience. 

More women should be talking about this mid-life journey which has resulted in a huge gap of information and support available for women going through this stage of their lives.

Why Are Perimenopause and Menopause such a taboo subject?

This is a difficult question to truly answer since the menopause experience is unique to each woman.

It seems to be a particularly taboo subject in relation to the workplace, where the majority of women surveyed said they were reluctant to raise any menopause-related symptoms to their line managers.

Many stated they felt embarrassed or believed their line managers would also feel embarrassed, so they avoided raising the subject.

It could also be that menopause is seen as a “visible” sign of ageing in women.

Women are constantly bombarded with ways to reduce the signs of ageing, appearance is regularly scrutinised on the covers of magazines and women who embrace their ageing process are questioned.

It’s little wonder that women feel they need to minimise the changes that are occurring within their bodies and suffer in silence for fear of drawing more attention to their ageing process.

Until society accepts that a woman’s mid-life health journey is a natural process affecting 51% of the population and starts openly talking about women’s health issues, then it will most likely remain a taboo subject.

How A Woman’s Mid-Life Health Journey Affects Their Work Life

As previously mentioned, women are reluctant to raise menopausal symptoms to their line managers for fear of embarrassment.

Sadly, too many women suffer in silence to minimise or disguise their symptoms at work.

A 2023 report conducted in the UK by CIPD entitled Menopause in the Workplace discovered that over half of respondents could think of a time when they couldn’t attend work due to their symptoms.

Perhaps surprisingly, one of the most common impacts of menopause was on women’s mental health, such as depression, anxiety, memory loss, lack of confidence and reduced concentration.

It is often “easier” to discuss menopausal symptoms when we can see them, such as physical changes in the body like hot flushes and weight gain.

Another factor affecting women in the workplace going through menopause is their chance of promotion.

A McKinsey and LeanIn report named The Broken Rung found that for every 100 men promoted from entry-level to manager, only 87 women were promoted.

Again, if women feel that they don’t have equal opportunities due to their menopausal symptoms, they will likely stay quiet, or worse, leave altogether.

It’s worth remembering that women are often at the peak of their careers when they start developing menopausal symptoms.

It’s sad, therefore, that one in six women leave work due to their symptoms and/or feeling undersupported.

Women who do not feel properly supported in the workplace ultimately cost companies money through absences or loss of talent.

Thankfully, menopause is starting to be recognised as a protected characteristic by the UK Equality Act 2010, and guidelines and policy changes are being implemented across many companies, not just in the UK but globally.

Employees who feel supported at work, understood and listened to, are more likely to remain loyal to their employers, generally take fewer absences and work for longer resulting in better financial returns and improved productivity.

How to Improve A Woman’s Mid-Life Health Journey

Community is key.

It has been proven that time and time again, women always feel better supported when they have an understanding community around them where they can talk freely without fear of prejudice or discrimination.

In the workplace environment, women said they felt most support from their colleagues which suggests they have developed that sense of community with other women going through the same mid-life stage.

On the Narratives of Purpose podcast, Sanjana Rao PhD & Gayatri Muthukrishnan PhD spoke about how they are guiding women through their mid-life journeys via their digital community hub, Miyara.

Miyara provides support, resources and services for women who are experiencing perimenopausal and menopausal changes and seeking direction and guidance on how to adjust and improve their mid-life health journey.

Sanjana and Gayatri are scientists who originally connected over a topic they were both interested in which was antibiotic resistance, however, they quickly realised they both had much more in common.

They felt strongly the need to educate and raise awareness on the subject of perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause since a lot of women still say they are unprepared for menopause and their mid-life health journey.

If you’d like to listen to their episode you can find it here on the Narratives of Purpose page.

The Future of a Woman’s Mid-Life Health Journey

The future of a woman’s mid-life health journey is looking much brighter.

Thanks to pressure on governments and policymakers, CEOs and a better understanding of this natural mid-life process more people are talking about menopause.

Women like Sanjana and Gayatri who recognised the need for a better support system for women going through menopause, created a tool to help and guide women through their mid-life health journeys.

There are still so many more ways to support women in their mid-life health journey, such as campaigning for robust policies in the workplace, encouraging organisations to create allyship programmes that include 1:1 advice, workshops and webinars and developing an inclusive working culture.

If you’d like to learn more about women’s health, why not visit the Narratives of Purpose podcast and virtually meet some of the changemakers involved in women’s health.