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Menopause at work

Journalist: Connie Dimsdale, The i newspaper

ended 23. November 2022

Hey everyone, I'm looking to speak to someone about how you have struggled through menopause at work. This is in light of the news that NHS England has issues guidance that menopausal women can work flexibly.

I'm hoping the piece will shed light on how debilitating it can be to go through menopause while staying on top of your career.

It's for an article in the i paper tomorrow so we'd need to have a chat this afternoon.

4 responses from the Newspage community

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Kate Underwood
Managing Director / HR Director at Kate Underwood HR and Training
Try this lady she is amazing nicola@nicolagreenconsultancy.co.uk
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Christine Charitonos
Founder at What Does Not
Most animals reproduce until death – whereas humans don't. An evolutionary sleight of hand that allows women to be caretakers of their community, wise women, and now, boss babes. However, the taboo around menopause persists in a society that is obsessed with youth and objectifying women – while relegating women's bodies and processes to a whole host of euphemisms from 'that time of the month' to 'the change'. So this new legislation is a great step toward breaking the taboo, and demystifying what happens as we enter this stage of life. Workplaces are mostly male dominated – and if the puzzled and slightly grossed out faces of male colleagues are anything to go by when trying to build understanding around the impacts of menstruation – I'm slightly more optimistic about the prospect of sharing the impacts of menopause.
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Dr Anita Raja
GP /Doctor at Dr Anita Raja
I haven’t reached there yet but as a clinician it’s vital to understand how difficult it is for some women to function during sometimes the very difficult seven years that can lead into the menopause, known as the peri-menopause. It can affect your relationship with your partner , it can affect your ability to concentrate at work and affect your relationship with others due to your irritability. This is a huge step in the right direction.
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Maddy Alexander-Grout
CEO at My VIP Rewards
Peri menopause hit me just over a year ago, I also have an auto immune disease called Hashimotos and, combined, they are horrendous. Some days by 12pm I am falling asleep at my desk due to the lack of sleep from insomnia and night sweats. My hormones and emotions are all over the place. And the brain fog is so severe I think people must think I am stupid sometimes. Employers need to take notice. This is something that affects a large amount of people in the workplace. It’s debilitating and causes a lot of anxiety. It’s a health problem like any other and the stigma around talking about it should be removed so that women don’t feel embarrassed to admit when they are struggling.