The Guardian view on the menopause at work: a healthy conversation | Editorial

From new employee entitlements to soap opera storylines, older women ’s health needs a bigger profileConnected as it is with ageing, it is not surprising that the menopause has a bad reputation. Even for women who have generally found their periods to be a nuisance, the cessation of the monthly cycle of egg production often comes as a shock. As well as the psychological impact of what used to euphemistically be called “the change”, the menopause brings with it symptoms for which a lot of women find themselves alarmingly unprepared – asmany readers told us when we invited them to share their stories.These symptoms include the heavy or irregular bleeding that often precedes the cessation of menstruation, hot flushes and night sweats, an increased risk of osteoporosis (brittle bones), disrupted sleep, anxiety, vaginal dryness and reduced sex drive. Given all this, and the fact that millions of women are going through the menopause at any one time (around 1 million women in the UK take hormone replacement therapy, although four in five do not medicate), it is remarkable the extent to which the taboo surrounding the menopause remains untouched. Even as other aspects of female reproductive health have become more widely discussed, the menopause has been stuck on the shelf.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Menopause Health Women Television industry Feminism World news Science Work & careers Guardian Careers Money Media Society Life and style Source Type: news