SHOUT OUT FOR WORLD MENOPAUSE DAY

According to Dr Louise Newson, GP and menopause specialist, most physicians do not receive any training on menopause? 

And when did you ever learn about it at school? 

In fact, barely anyone is being properly prepared for a process that will happen directly to approximately half of the world’s population over the age of 45, and will indirectly impact millions more.
It is no wonder then, that so many women are needlessly suffering.

As we become an ever aging global population, more and more women around us will be experiencing menopause. Suffering from a myriad of symptoms, and often being dismissed by health professionals who send them away with nothing but an antidepressant.
And it is not just them that suffer.

What about their partners, their children, their workplaces?
All of these could experience the negative impact of the anxiety, fatigue, and reduced productivity menopause can lead to if not properly addressed.
Undoubtedly, there are many narratives that we need to change around women; we need to recognize the potential and diversity of women, as well as their challenges. 

But one thing that women share is that they will go through menopause and that change comes with many physical and psychological repercussions that need to be recognized by the medical community, taught in schools, socially and culturally accepted, de stigmatized, researched, and catered for. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if menopause, like puberty and pregnancy, is recognized as just one more step on a woman’s healthy reproductive journey? Only then can we begin to study and treat this transition with the attention it deserves. 

Thankfully, each of us can play an important role in driving this change and normalizing menopause, simply by talking about it. Whether it’s with a partner, your child, a friend, or a colleague at work. Even if it’s not you that is going through menopause at the moment, you can discuss how it’s just not you yet. One day you or someone you love will experience menopause and may need your support and encouragement. Why not talk about how there is so much life to live after menopause? How it shouldn’t be negatively associated with old age? 

Each of us has the power to retell this story and make menopause a part of life when women get to be totally themselves, and when they are supported as they find a new footing in the world with a body that now follows different rules. The more we all talk, the more we can break down the taboo. 

So, no more silent suffering; the women we all know and love deserve better. 

This World Menopause Day Freda encourages you all to be cheerleaders for menopause. Together, we can make it something to shout about.