Everybody who is affected by menopause, experiences it differently. The peri-menopause (the time before the actual menopause, when the majority of the symptoms occur) comes with over 50 different symptoms, varying from the commonly known hot flushes, weight gain and hair loss, to the less commonly known, electric shocks! Other factors come into play too, such as lifestyle, mental and physical health and even socio-economics, so the variance of experience is unsurprising.
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Some of the differences:
Something that is less well known, is that cross-cultural research from across the world suggests that women from different countries have varying experiences of menopause. It seems that a person’s race and cultural background can cause a difference in the severity of symptoms, when the symptoms might start and even how long they will last.
On average, Black women start menopause two years earlier than their White European counterparts and will typically reach menopause aged 49. Whilst for White women, it normally occurs between the ages of 45-55. Asian women have the shortest menopause, typically it starts at 47 and it usually ends at 52, Indian women on the other hand, start much earlier, on average aged 40 and reaching menopause at 47.
A SWAN study found that for Black women, symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats are more often severe and last longer than those in White, European women. The symptoms in Asian women are different again, with a lot of them experiencing shoulder pain; headaches and insomnia (they don’t have a word for ‘hot flushes’ in Japanese). Indian women report symptoms such as vaginal dryness, urinary symptoms, mental health issues, weight gain and insomnia.
Women with underlying conditions or disabilities usually have a worse experience than others. Conditions such as: MS, ADHD and Depression can be made worse by the menopause. The menopause is not a mental health condition, but the fluctuation in hormones can cause mood swings and brain fog. These are often exacerbated by stress, which can cause or worsen anxiety and depression.
Trans and non-binary people can experience menopausal symptoms due to changes in hormones too. These can fluctuate as treatments can often stop and start again, and for those undergoing a medical transition, the whole process takes up to seven years.
What can we do?
More research is needed! Unfortunately, research is lacking in this area; most of the studies have been done with White European women, meaning that menopause is often viewed through a White Eurocentric lens.
A lot of workplaces don’t realise that menopausal women are the fastest growing demographic in the workforce and nearly 8 out of 10 menopausal women are in work. We need to remove the taboo and any barriers around the subject. The more we talk openly about this, the less embarrassing it becomes.
Employer awareness and staff training are key! Organisations should start with training for line managers; run sessions that allow and encourage women to share their experiences, have dedicated menopause champion/s, as well as support networks and have menopause policies in place.
Workplaces need to create a culture where it’s okay to talk about menopause. People experiencing menopause symptoms need to feel comfortable asking for support, and know that they will get it. This doesn’t have to be costly or time consuming, little things can make a big difference, for example: providing desk top fans, moving to a workspace nearer a window, providing cold drinking water, ensuring staff have easy access to washroom facilities, providing sanitary products in toilets, a quiet space to have a break/rest.
It’s wonderful that we have a seen a huge rise in initiatives addressing wellbeing and mental health at work, but now we need to start taking menopause and the differences within that just as seriously.
The Diversity Trust offers menopause training:
The authors of this article are:
Haley White MSc, Mental Health at Work Trainer & Consultant, specialising in Menopause and Stephanie Reid, Diversity and Wellbeing Consultant, specialising in Menopause.
Haley & Stephanie run Menopause workshops and events for private and public sector organisations across a wide range of sectors.
You can reach Haley and Stephanie via their LinkedIn profiles.