Time to normalise the word menopause
Teresa Townsend
Senior Brand Ambassador, Qatar
: J Nurs Patient Care
Abstract
Menopause is a natural stage of life which approximately 50% of the population will be going through, and yet it is still a taboo subject. Menopausal women are the fastest growing workforce demographic, but there is still a stigma in the majority of companies around the world. By 2030, the world population of menopausal and postmenopausal women is projected to increase to 1.2 billion, with 47 million new entrants each year. We are beginning to realise that mental health is important but forget to mention that menopause can also affect a woman’s mental state. All women experience menopause differently. Symptoms can be physical, such as hot flashes, headaches, poor sleep and erratic periods, or psychological, such as anxiety, low mood, lack of confidence and poor concentration. Many women had not even heard of the word perimenopause (phase before menopause) and were not aware of the many symptoms. Equally medical professionals around the world are also not trained enough in this area and often misdiagnose and give antidepressants, or women are told they are too young to be going through peri menopause which is not correct. By us all talking about this normal phase of life will give women the opportunity to feel safe to share their worries and concerns. It is time to normalise the word menopause .
Biography
