Generally speaking how do women across cultures view menopause

Official Report KB pdf. Before we begin the final item of business, I remind members of the Covid-related measures that are in place and that face coverings should be worn when moving around the chamber and across the Holyrood campus. The debate will be concluded without any question being put. I thank colleagues for signing my motion so that we can debate this important topic. In Scotland, we have come a long way towards improving support for, and ending the stigma of, the menopause, but we still have much to do.

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Content:

• Menopause Can Start Younger Than You Think: Here's What You Need To Know
• Memory and Cognitive Health Deserve Greater Attention During Menopause
• Coping With Hot Flashes and Other Menopausal Symptoms: What 10 Celebrities Said
• How employers can support menopausal women at work
• Chamber and committees
• Waist-to-hip ratio, body-mass index, age and number of children in seven traditional societies
• The Guardian view on the menopause at work: a healthy conversation
• Unmasking the menopause

WATCH RELATED VIDEO: Understanding Menopause - Talking Cultural Challenges with Dr Nighat Arif

Menopause Can Start Younger Than You Think: Here's What You Need To Know

Official Report KB pdf. Before we begin the final item of business, I remind members of the Covid-related measures that are in place and that face coverings should be worn when moving around the chamber and across the Holyrood campus.

The debate will be concluded without any question being put. I thank colleagues for signing my motion so that we can debate this important topic. In Scotland, we have come a long way towards improving support for, and ending the stigma of, the menopause, but we still have much to do. I am passionate about starting conversations and ending the stigma around the menopause, and I look forward to the upcoming campaign to remove the stigma and raise awareness of symptoms.

There are around , women of menopausal age in Scotland. The average age at which a woman reaches the menopause is 51; however, some women experience perimenopause 10 years earlier, which can include heavy or infrequent periods, night sweats and hot flushes.

All too often, we are given leaflets from our general practitioner to read over, but we need options and better advice. There are more than 30 symptoms of the menopause, and women deserve support that is tailored to their own symptoms. Hormone replacement therapy is a well-known treatment, and thankfully it is free at the point of need in Scotland.

However, HRT is not for everyone, and I would like to see more treatment options available. I urge our Government to offer more holistic approaches to tackle the varying degrees of symptoms that are associated with the menopause. Many women do not speak to their doctor about their menopause, as they worry that they are wasting national health service time.

However, most importantly—and shockingly, but not surprisingly—the group found that women wanted to be taken seriously. We need not only more research and support, but ultimately more education, on the menopause. Current events highlight the need to improve support, end the stigma of the menopause and ensure that women can get a break when they need it.

Wearing masks when a hot flush hits you is the equivalent of a towering inferno. As someone who is experiencing menopause symptoms, I know how challenging that has been. While many women who experience hot flushes and sweats want to down tools and run a mile, there are so many women in the medical, nursing and caring professions who have had to look after us during the pandemic while kitted out in full personal protective equipment and battling menopause symptoms.

I applaud those women, who have overcome their own challenges to protect the lives of others. With regard to the workplace, 45 per cent of women told a survey that menopausal symptoms had had a negative impact on their work, and 40 per cent of those who took a day off work for that could not tell their employer the real reason.

Many workplaces have improved in recent years. NHS Lanarkshire also implemented a policy this time last year. It is good to see that those two large employers are ahead of the curve, and I hope that other workplaces will follow suit. I have an open door to any East Kilbride businesses that want to discuss the best way to support women and colleagues. I hope that the debate today will raise awareness and encourage employers to do all that they can to help colleagues who are going through the menopause, and to ensure that women know that they deserve support.

Let us empower our young women and girls through high-quality education on menstrual health, but let us also pay attention to our attitudes and behaviours. There is still a stigma there, and we need to reach out to men and women alike in order to tackle it.

The support that is available continues to improve, but the stigma must end. I thank Collette Stevenson for bringing to the chamber this debate, which is so important to women in Scotland. I also thank her for name-checking me in her speech—I am delighted. I know that Ms Stevenson has campaigned for many years for better menopause services and workplace policies. In fact, I spoke in the debate that she mentioned, which was led by Christina McKelvie, when I mentioned the work that she had done in making South Lanarkshire Council the first local authority in Scotland to introduce a menopause policy.

It is that campaigning, including the Pausitivity campaign, 50Sense and all the Menopause Cafe events, that has really prompted change. The change that has happened in the past few years has been incredible, not least in making discussions about the menopause more open, frequent and normal. That is significant progress and I can think of no better woman to have that responsibility. Put bluntly, stigma around menopause is a barrier to women getting the help they need, but here is the thing: menopause is a normal stage of life as a female.

If we use that fact as our baseline, perhaps we can then start to normalise conversations around the menopause and, if we can do that, perhaps we can make more progress on the treatment of its often debilitating effects.

Stigma is one thing, but a lot more needs to be done clinically in the menopause sphere. More menopause training is needed for GPs. It should not be left to chance whether you get to speak to someone with that interest or expertise, and a five-minute appointment is often not long enough to diagnose menopause.

It may even be the wrong day to diagnose menopause, if your hormones are playing up. Also, women should not have to go private to see a menopause specialist; we need to make sure that access to menopause specialists is equal for all women.

I have been researching the role that testosterone plays in women. We think that menopause is about oestrogen, which is largely true, but we lose testosterone, as well. That can lead to memory, sleep and energy loss, and complete loss of libido. There is no available female testosterone replacement available in this country. If a GP prescribes testosterone, it is the male AndroGel variety and the dosing of that for women is a shot in the dark.

That issue is being addressed in Australia, which has just approved Androfeme, a metered female testosterone replacement. As the menopause specialist Dr Louise Newson says, these are hormones that we have lost and we want them back. Every cell in a female body has oestrogen and testosterone in it, so is it any wonder that when those decline we start to feel ill and miserable?

Dr Newson says that all we want is our hormones back. Talking about the issue as openly as we will be today, combined with the seriousness that the Scottish Government is placing on menopause policy and getting us access to the right menopause care, gives me hope for a better life for women when they are going through this entirely normal stage of their lives. In the short time that I have, I will make three key points—about stigma, the workplace and the action being taken across the UK to make a difference.

Ending the stigma is the first building block in tackling the systemic issues around the treatment of women. It is extremely important that we teach not only young women and girls about menopause, but young men and boys, too. We cannot expect the stigma of menopause to disappear unless we educate everyone about it. Today is that first step.

Secondly, we must do more to support women in the workplace during menopause. There are significant issues around a complete lack of understanding from employers towards their employees.

I thank Dr Louise Newson, a menopause doctor who runs the not-for-profit company Newson Health Research and Education, for her new research. Her survey found that 99 per cent of women felt that their perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms had a negative impact on their careers. Overall, more than one in five women passed on the chance to go for a promotion that they would otherwise have considered, 19 per cent reduced their hours and 12 per cent resigned. Those figures are quite outstanding.

I am glad, too, that leading broadcasters, celebrities and other public figures have recently spoken of their experiences. DJ Jo Whiley revealed that she was struggling with menopause symptoms at the same time that her Radio 2 show with Simon Mayo was being criticised. No woman should ever be held back from pursuing her career or doing her job well because of such stigma.

Recently, I learned that only 10 cases of alleged discrimination against women affected by menopause have been heard by industrial tribunals in Scotland over the past five years, with three this year alone. I would be grateful if, in closing, the minister could provide an update on the progress of that work. On a positive note, right across the UK, fantastic work is being done to tackle the issue.

In July, the UK Women and Equalities Committee launched an inquiry into menopause in the workplace, and since then, it has collected evidence from a wide range of sources about the impact that menopause can have on women and their occupations. Right across the UK, it is clear that there is momentum to finally address the personal, social and professional impact of menopause on the lives of women. There is much more work to do, but if we continue to work in a collegiate manner, we will make progress in seeking to end the stigma and improving support for women.

I am pleased to be speaking in the debate, and I thank my colleague Collette Stevenson for bringing it to the chamber. I echo her comments about the great work that has been done by our colleagues, Christina McKelvie and Gillian Martin.

Thankfully, the days of the menopause being viewed as a bit of a joke are coming to an end, and not before time. Around , women in Scotland are of menopausal age, and more than half suffer a variety of distressing symptoms, such as memory loss, insomnia, anxiety, palpitations, hot flushes, joint pain and much more.

Therefore, mugs, napkins, aprons, car stickers and other rubbish, all emblazoned with so-called slogans about the change are not really funny at all. When it comes to talking and being open about such issues, subjects such as menstruation, endometriosis, thyroid conditions and in vitro fertilisation treatment are often swept under the carpet, particularly in the workplace.

The menopause exacerbates gender inequality in the workplace. We know that there are increasing numbers of older women in employment and that many more women than previously will experience the menopause while at work.

Some will sail through it, but others will not. That is why I am glad to see that we are at last making some headway. Praise should go to South Lanarkshire Council, which is the first local authority to implement a menopause policy to support women in the workplace.

Other employers, both public and private, must have buy-in, too. A menopause policy will give women peace of mind and reassurance that they will be understood, their symptoms recognised, and support and flexibility will be offered if they need it.

That is really not too much to ask in a civilised society. In the summer of , the excellent feminist charity Engender undertook a survey as part of a research project seeking to understand how current Scottish policy meets the needs of women going through the menopause.

It found that most women still felt inadequately supported and that many women simply did not know where to go for information: 40 per cent reported not feeling informed about the menopause, an additional 10 per cent reported that they were unsure whether they were informed and only 15 per cent reported being aware of the existence of specialist menopause services.

We must do better. The good news is that not all women felt negative about the menopause. Several indicated that they perceived it as either a neutral or a positive transition. For example, one respondent used these words to describe the menopause:. Let us get rid of the stigma, increase support, collect and utilise further data—especially from underrepresented groups—do more medical research, raise awareness, and scale up specialist services and make them equally available across health boards for women needing support.

Let us ensure that, with the correct support, women can embrace their newfound freedom to enrich their lives. I thank Collette Stevenson for bringing this important issue to the chamber. On behalf of Scottish Labour, I welcome world menopause day, which was marked on 18 October. As the motion states, around , women in Scotland today are of menopausal age, and most of them will experience symptoms that are wide ranging and often distressing.

Memory and Cognitive Health Deserve Greater Attention During Menopause

C onnected 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. 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. Provisions such as flexible working or sick leave for women with symptoms might sound like common sense. But for many women, the experience of the menopause at work is one of discomfort exacerbated by prejudice.

Coping With Hot Flashes and Other Menopausal Symptoms: What 10 Celebrities Said

Analysis of the SWAN study suggests that women of color reach menopause earlier and experience more intense symptoms compared to white women. These findings are important, says Dr. Not knowing that a Black woman is likely to have longer and worse menopausal symptoms does her a disservice, because the clinician might tend to minimize the impact of her symptoms and might be less likely to offer her hormone therapy or other treatments. Having a better idea of how long symptoms will last is also helpful, and knowing more about differences in the timing of menopause may influence the decisions to do testing such a bone density screening and other aspects of menopause care. The body is constantly trying to maintain homeostasis, keeping its physiological parameters tightly regulated — your blood pressure , heart rate, blood glucose level , and more. But when faced with challenges or adversity, they temporarily go outside that normal operating range: Your heart rate and blood pressure go up. The long-term negative consequence of responding too often is allostatic load; the stress response systems get worn down.

How employers can support menopausal women at work

The years that lead up to the end of f ertility is known as perimenopause — which lasts for up to a decade and generally takes place in the forties and early fifties — can be a hormonal road every bit as rocky as puberty. Fluctuations of estrogen and other hormone levels can trigger many different menopausal symptoms. Mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats, and difficulty sleeping can have a significant impact on quality of life. Although celebrities have long been rumored to fib about how old they are, these 10 women are coming forward to own and share their personal experiences with midlife. The actress and Goop founder has gone beyond just talking about her experience with menopause.

Chamber and committees

Thank you for visiting nature. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer. In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. It has been suggested that the preference for low WHRs evolved because low WHR provided a cue to female reproductive status and health, and therefore to her reproductive value. The present study aimed to test whether WHR might indeed be a reliable cue to female reproductive history with lower WHRs indicating lower number of children.

Waist-to-hip ratio, body-mass index, age and number of children in seven traditional societies

Unsurprisingly Moore — and later Djokovic — received heavy criticism from across the tennis world and sparked discussions about equality in sport across the media. Moore resigned on Monday, his position untenable. The intense media scrutiny will no doubt now subside. However, in his post-match interview at Indian Wells, Djokovic went further. I have tremendous respect for what women in global sport are doing and achieving. In going beyond that straightforward expression of respect, and in the context of his comments about prize money, however, Djokovic strayed into the territory of everyday sexism. In addition to his controversial view on unequal pay, Djokovic couches his comments with a caveat — his respect for the global achievements of his female counterparts.

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

Metrics details. Of women included, Median age of onset menopause was 48 years IQR 45—

Unmasking the menopause

Emily Vaughn. Rhitu Chatterjee. Sarah Edrie says she was about 33 when she started to occasionally get a sudden, hot, prickly feeling that radiated into her neck and face, leaving her flushed and breathless. And my heart would race," she says. The sensations subsided in a few moments and seemed to meet the criteria for a panic attack. But Edrie, who has no personal or family history of anxiety, was baffled.

Women experiencing menopause during their careers is a natural part of life, yet too often employers don't provide the needed employee support around this issue. Further, there is no mainstream information or discussion on the topic, which leads to a lack of understanding of how this biological transition and its corresponding side effects can impact women at work, says Pat Duckworth , author of five books on menopause. The reason menopause is such a huge challenge for mid-life women is because it often spans a period of more than a decade, beginning with a significant transition around age 45 called perimenopause. Common physical and cognitive effects are hot flashes, brain fog, and disrupted sleep patterns because of hormonal fluctuations; and these, in turn, can cause low energy and extreme fatigue. Several professional women interviewed for this article say this situation also can have a devastating psychological impact on their careers by bringing about a loss of confidence and a feeling of being unable to deal with the side effects of this multi-year biological transition.

Research shows us that weight-gain with menopause is common. The average woman will gain around 2 kilograms. Weight-gain can contribute to a variety of lifestyle changes, from a decline in confidence and self-esteem to aggravation or onset of health problems.