Twist issue 148 April 2023

Tw st
It’s time to take this seriously
It’s time to talk about the
menopause. Chesterfield
MP Toby Perkins says it’s
vital that we challenge any
stigma attached to the
menopause and ensure
women are receiving the
support they need at
every stage of their lives
M
ENOPAUSE is often a taboo subject, which could be
because there is an assumption that women who go
through it experience changes to their sexual function or
desire.
Some may also say it is not often discussed because issues that
affect women in this age bracket are often ignored or less
relevant. Of course, women’s issues at all ages are important and
the subject of the menopause is moving higher up the political
agenda.
A recent documentary by Davina McCall about menopausal and
peri-menopausal women brought the subject into the open, and it
showed how challenging some of the symptoms are for so many
women.
It highlighted many significant and lesser-known symptoms that
many would not automatically link to the change in hormones
during this stage of life. I wasn’t
previously aware, for example,
that memory loss, or brain fog,
and anxiety were symptoms of
the menopause.
It was suggested in the
programme that research has
shown how Hormone
Replacement Therapy may
even help prevent brain
problems in later life, such as
dementia.
The programme was an
eye-opener for me and, I
suspect for many employers. As
a country, we lose too many
women from the workplace and
it is in our economic as well as
social interest to be better at
supporting 50% of the
population as they reach this
entirely natural stage of their
lives.
The number of women who will
experience the menopause
whilst working is increasing, but
far too many are suffering in
silence.
A recent report from the
Women and Equalities
Committee found that lack of
support from employers for
menopausal symptoms was
pushing highly skilled and
experienced women out of
work, whilst stats from the
Fawcett Society indicates that
one in ten women aged 45-55
10
Carolyn Harris MP: ‘Leading a successful campaign to
change the way we think and talk about the menopause’
left their jobs last year due to their
symptoms and the lack of support from
their employers.
The next Labour government will require
all large employers, with more than 250
employees, to write and implement a
menopause action plan to help ensure that
women are receiving the individual support
they need. This could be allowing time off
work, flexible hours, providing temperaturecontrolled
working areas. And we will also
focus on ensuring all employers take the
menopause seriously by promoting better
awareness and training.
Ensuring women get the right workplace support and enabling
more to stay in employment is good for their health and
wellbeing, better for employers and better for the UK’s
productivity and wider economy.
Even though we all have mothers, grandmothers, friends and
work colleagues, who will have gone (or are going) through the
menopause, it has often been discussed in hushed tones or
treated as a joke, meaning many women have felt too
embarrassed to bring it up or ask for support.
Alarmingly, women have reported their symptoms being
dismissed by their GP so they are unable to access the support
and treatment available.
Whilst there has been some welcome examples of the NHS and
specialist doctors addressing and promoting the importance of a
wider knowledge of the
menopause, more still needs to
be done.
Chesterfield Royal’s
gynaecology department do
accept GP referrals for their
specialist service, and the British
Menopause Society website has
a directory pointing to
specialists in this field, including
Dr Amanda Smith, a former
North Derbyshire GP, who
specialises in sexual health and
menopause.
A campaign led by my friend
and colleague Carolyn Harris MP
means that women will now be
able to receive a HRT Certificate
– giving them access to a
variety of treatments every year
for just £20, which will save
women over £200 a year in
prescription fees and make it
easier to access support.
Carolyn is also leading a
successful campaign to change
the way we think and talk about
the menopause. Symptoms
shouldn’t be treated as a joke
and women should be able to
discuss it without feeling
embarrassed or ridiculed.
At home, at work and in their
everyday lives, it is in all our
interests for women to be
supported through what can be
one of the most challenging
times in their lives.