Ending Menopause Stigma: Building Understanding and Awareness

Menopause stigma continues to affect women across the world. Inequalities in the supports available, poor education on the changes it causes in the body, and lack of awareness by men all contribute to making this a challenging time in the lives of the 25 million women who experience menopause every year.

Some people are on a mission to change this. In a recent episode of BBC’s The Conversation, American writer and marathon runner Barbara Grufferman and British-Pakistani doctor Nighat Arif discuss how we can address this stigma and demystify menopause once and for all.  

Ending Menopause Stigma

Menopause is a biological process that marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycles, usually occurring around age 50. At this time, production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone drastically decrease. Other side effects include loss of bone and muscle mass, insomnia, and decreased libido  

There will be 1.2 billion menopausal and postmenopausal women in the world by the end of the decade. For the most part, women suffer in silence through the common symptoms of night sweats, mood swings, hot flashes, and others. These things are for the most part very treatable and manageable, yet cultural and educational barriers keep women from getting the care and support they need.

Grufferman, who went through perimenopause around age 50, says we need to embrace and “own” this aspect of aging, not fight against it. She was once giving a corporate presentation when she broke out in a hot flash, an experience that was humiliating for her at the time. Understandably, she didn’t feel comfortable telling everyone what she was going through and asking for a minute to do some self-care. This must change, she says.

We need to empower women to embrace this experience and not be ashamed of it. Grufferman says that if she was having a hot flash now, she’d simply let people around her know what was happening, an action that could empower her to take ownership over her health in that moment while also helping build understanding with those who were there.

Many men are poorly informed about menopause and the impact it has on women’s lives. Dr. Arif points out that she often sees men suffering from stress and high blood pressure when the women in their lives are menopausal, something rooted in a lack of understanding.

Increased awareness around the changes that menopause instigates in the body - such as changes in estrogen levels and calcium and insulin deficiencies - can help women understand and manage their experience, while also helping men, including male doctors, prepare and provide more adequate support.

Discussing Menopause

Having open discussions with family members also brings children into an important conversation that can prepare daughters for something they will experience. Sons, too, can gain an understanding of what their mothers are experiencing - hormonal mood swings, for example - and be there to offer support instead of potentially coming into conflict with their mothers at this crucial moment.

The professional world also has an important role to play in ending menopause stigma. In the U.K., many workplaces are starting to promote menopause awareness and facilitating support groups.

Dr. Arif says this is great progress, but we need to go a step further. Like maternity and parental leave policies, she says we need to start seeing workplace menopause policies, which include support and paid time off.

Dr. Arif works for NHS, the U.K.’s National Health Service; around 15% of women leave their careers at the organization during perimenopause and menopause, something a workplace policy could help to prevent.

The need for such a policy is absolutely crucial, she says, because up to a quarter of women may experience suicidal ideations during this time and up to 50% experience symptoms that impact their livelihoods and abilities to climb the career ladder. Beyond this, two thirds of women have psychological symptoms, including loss of confidence and self-esteem, depression, and memory fog.

A major barrier to support here is that menopause has largely been addressed in the context and culture of middle class white women. Menopause stigma and even taboos on discussing menopause vary widely from culture to culture. Dr. Arif points out that Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, doesn’t even have a word for menopause.  Culturally relevant education is key to helping these women understand their experiences and know when they should see a doctor.

Exercise and Menopause

The loss of bone mass that typically occurs after menopause - on average, up to 10 per cent in the first five years - puts many women at high risk for osteoporosis, a thinning of the bones that makes them more susceptible to fractures.

Fortunately, this is largely preventable with regular weight-bearing and strength training exercises. If you have been less active, even starting with one, short session per week helps. Once you have a routine, add another session or two to prevent or delay the process of osteoporosis. 

Grafferman’s mother had undiagnosed osteoporosis, something she only found out about after she fell and broke her hip, causing her to lose her independence.

This doesn’t mean that exercise will prevent bone fractures in everyone, but it will decrease your chances of having a break if and when you do fall. Other exercises can reduce your chances of having a fall in the first place.

An added short-term benefit of exercise in postmenopausal women is the increase of endorphin levels that otherwise drop off as estrogen production declines.

This can mitigate some of the psychological symptoms associated with menopause, similar to the positive effects physical activity has on overall mental wellness.

If you or someone you know needs support on their menopause journey or might feel impacted by menopause stigma, we recommend checking out the Red Hot Mamas, the Menopause Chicks, or this resource guide.