If womanhood were a product on store shelves, the box would list one guarantee: menopause is part of the deal. As women age, the natural downshift of reproductive hormones occurs and, for the most part, outside of the public eye. Hot flashes, fatigue, anxiety, and difficulty focusing are kept under wraps to save face and manage others’ discomfort.
The unfortunate fallout makes women experiencing menopause feel isolated and less than, and may even worsen symptoms like depression. Normalizing conversations about menopause across generations is one way to combat this issue. It helps de-stigmatize the natural process of aging and supports the women in our lives.
Story Stages
1. Increased Dialogue Leads to Greater Understanding
Women are aware that menopause is coming eventually, but most aren’t informed about when and how it comes on. Effectively, many women are in the dark about their own bodies’ natural aging process, due largely to stigma. When you’re uninformed about your health, you’re at a greater risk of missing symptoms and increasing suffering.
A caricatured image of a woman in menopause typically features hot flashes and irritability, symptoms that are hard to hide. However, menopause can also spark urinary tract infections (UTIs) brought on by decreased estrogen levels. UTIs are already stigmatized, so their appearance during menopause doubles the risk of not connecting the dots.
With candid conversations about the range of symptoms, women can better understand what to expect during menopause. Women entering the perimenopause phase, which is also largely ignored, can learn how to prevent symptoms and discomfort. They can manage stress, increase physical activity, or begin a UTI supplement regimen to prepare their bodies for change.
2. Workplaces Can Provide Supportive Environments
Offices are well-known for their tendency to condition cubicles toward arctic temperatures, which may finally be a relief for women. However, work environments, policies, and practices can benefit from transparent conversations and training about menopause. Menopause is a health matter and should be treated with the discretion and respect of any other condition. Include it in modules about discrimination, empathy, and harassment, as menopause can be an easy target for jokes or exclusion.
Instead, connect with colleagues across generations to learn about their life experiences, through both qualitative and quantitative methods. Strive to sample your team, as reaching out to women you assume to be in menopause is asking for a problem. Use this opportunity to learn of the specific needs of your organization and compare them to industry data. Women have longer lifespans than men, which makes sense that women in menopause are the fastest-growing workplace demographic.
Learn about how menopause can impact women’s work performance and make changes to policies that help them. Decreases in concentration and memory may make women question their abilities, especially since they likely have decades of expertise. Help them structure their workdays in ways that support their symptoms and be gracious with extending sick time. Let them know that they’re valued and that your organization supports their well-being.
3. Family Members Can Extend Empathy
Mom’s outfit has changed three times today and now, she doesn’t want to go to the park. “She must not want to play with me,” the youngest child thinks. However, the problem has nothing to do with the child, it’s the havoc that menopause can have on a woman’s life. Menopause puts women at the mercy of hormonal shifts outside of their control, leaving them almost helpless, despite their desires.
Without transparency, kids can be left to feel unloved, neglected, and saddened at their loved one’s change in behavior. However, sparking family conversations about how bodies work across a lifetime can make a lifelong difference. Younger children can begin to understand what’s happening, why, and how they can help or be sensitive to others’ experiences. Boys can learn about women’s reproductive differences and can learn to be supportive partners.
Clarify that menopause, and the symptoms that come along with it, are not a joke. Hot flashes aren’t to be dismissed, they’re to be helped; so the natural response should be to turn down the air conditioning, not to make a joke. Open conversations can help family members be more body-aware, improving their ability to understand their experiences, too. If something feels wrong or different for them, they’ll be more likely to share it instead of hiding it.
Kids who learn empathy at home are more likely to extend it outside of their address, too. They’ll be the ones who help out and advocate for others at school. When they start to work, they’ll be the ones who support others through whatever health journey they’re on. Level set with those you love to improve your family connections and what they bring to the world around them.
Make a Difference for the Women in Your Life
Take time to really see the women in your lives and consider their experience through aging. Your loving mother’s mood changes may be attributable to hormonal shifts, and what she needs is support, not frustration. At work, examine your workplace’s structure, accommodations, and policies to determine if changes are needed. Advocate for equitable, comfortable, and productive work environments to create a more inclusive workplace. In doing so, you’ll support the women in your life and de-stigmatize the natural experience of menopause.
