My ‘ Changing the Conversation on Menopause ’ survey of 1100 women shows that ninety-six percent of them don ’ t feel prepared for menopause , with well over two-thirds admitting to feeling completely unprepared and robbed of life as they knew it .
Imagine celebrating menopause as an achievement . It can , and should be the beginning of a whole new satisfying chapter in our life , rather than feeling like the end of life as we knew it . With accumulated professional and social skills , improving financial stability and increasing amounts of leisure time once children have flown the nest , women should be in celebration mode . Why is it then that , in Western societies , celebration and menopause are hardly mentioned in the same conversation ?
When young women see the first sign of menstrual blood , their mothers quietly celebrate their daughter ’ s arrival to womanhood . Following the delivery of our new born babies , whole families and close friends share our joy . So why then aren ’ t women expecting congratulations when they leave their fertile years behind and the prospect of being respected for their wisdom ? According to surveys , most women are far too scared by their overwhelming symptoms and fading youth ; often their brain fog is so extreme they can ’ t even remember the last sentence they uttered , let alone remember their accumulated wisdom .
How did menopause get associated with so many negative connotations ? Well for a start , one hundred years or so ago , women weren ’ t living much past fifty , so what happened after menopause wasn ’ t really an issue . Women fifty plus were considered old ladies . Now that we can expect to live so much longer , and both the Baby Boomers and the X Generation have no plans to grow old gracefully , we need to seriously revisit conversations we are both witnessing and taking part in on the subject of our menopause .
CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR DOCTORS
Conversations with our doctors should be informative and helpful , rather than resulting in women being palmed off with prescriptions for hormones and antidepressants , or told it ’ s all part of being a woman . In my survey , would you believe under 12 % of women even consider going to ask their doctor for help or advice about menopause ? And only 2 % consult their practice nurse . It ’ s hardly surprising when the Mayo Clinic Survey published last year revealed that only seven percent of doctors and gynaecologists feel adequately educated to help women going through menopause .
IN THE WORKPLACE
Women are seriously afraid of owning up to being menopausal in the workplace . While some companies and organizations are now creating policies and practices for women at this life stage , in the majority of cases line managers feel under educated on menopause and find conversations with employees awkward .
Nearly half of the 1000 women in my Working Women Survey said they would be afraid to speak to their boss about menopause for fear of making them look less capable , and even more women claimed they would be too afraid to discuss it with their colleagues .
WISDOM & SELF-GROWTH
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