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World Menopause Day is a day to raise awareness, break stigma and highlight the support available for people going through menopause. In this blog, Abby, a Women’s Health Specialist at Brook, talks about her work in Cornwall over the past year.
Menopause affects 51% of the UK population, yet it remains a topic clouded by stigma, myths, and misunderstandings.
This is particularly true in the workplace, where over 90% of menopausal women report that their symptoms negatively affect their work. Despite this huge figure, less than 1/3 of those experiencing perimenopausal symptoms told anyone about it at work.
Recognising this growing need for support, the Cornwall Menopause Project was launched in April 2022 with a clear mission: to empower businesses with the knowledge to create menopause-friendly workplaces and support individuals through our menopause coaching programme, MyLife.
Since its launch, we’ve been fortunate to collaborate with passionate people from small to medium-sized organisations who are committed to creating more inclusive and supportive workplaces.
In all our training sessions, we highlight the wide-ranging impact of menopause, from physical and emotional symptoms to addressing the needs of those often-overlooked such as neurodivergent individuals and those with gender diversity.
Our sessions for leaders and managers are especially impactful. They provide space for understanding the challenges employees may face during menopause, fostering empathetic discussions about how the workplace can offer support.
Every organisation is different and faces unique challenges.
Our training provokes conversations within and across teams so that managers can gain a deeper understanding of what they can do in their workplace to support their staff.
Where we’ve delivered training to both managers and employees, we have seen an improvement in employee confidence and wellbeing. Employees feel reassured knowing that they can discuss their health and wellbeing at work, especially if they need support. This also helps to open up conversations with colleagues, where they can share experiences and offer peer support.
In addition to training for businesses, the Menopause MyLife Programme offers 1:1 support for individuals. This personalised service allows participants to reflect on their symptoms, wellbeing and journey so far as well as identify areas for improvement.
From the very start of the programme, it became clear that there was a significant demand, with over 50 self-referrals within the first three weeks – our overall target for the two-year project.
During the programme, many shared that they felt lost and fearful when they began experiencing symptoms because they weren’t aware of what to expect.
Through sessions with our Women’s Health Specialists, they were able to gain a deeper understanding of their symptoms and how to manage them and reassurance that they were not alone.
Before joining the program I felt like I had lost myself, this experience has shown me how much the menopause effected my mental health. I finally feel back on track and excited about the future.”
MyLife menopause coaching participant
The sessions offer a reflective space to explore, think and talk about how their symptoms were affecting them, something which many participants had not had the opportunity to do before. With the support of our Specialists, participants have planned how to continue leading positive and fulfilling lives both at home and at work while managing their menopausal symptoms.
Despite the progress made in Cornwall through the project, social stigma and sexism around menopause continue to pose challenges.
Many women still feel pressured to remain silent about their symptoms, fearing judgment or misunderstanding.
This can prevent them seeking support inside and outside of work and hinder businesses from offering necessary adjustments.
With the success of our project in Cornwall, Brook is expanding its menopause offer to the rest of the UK. We now offer training for businesses and organisations and MyLife to anyone who wants to take back control as they go through menopause.
As the programme continues to evolve, it stands as a crucial resource for creating more menopause-friendly workplaces and ensuring that those experiencing menopause can lead fulfilling lives.
Explore Brook’s menopause support
We offer menopause training for the workplace, including training for managers, employees and training Menopause Champions.
Our MyLife menopause coaching programme supports individuals to take back control during perimenopause and menopause, building support mechanisms to help in the long-term.
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