Supporting employees through menopause — Signs and symptoms

According to the CIPD, women over 50 are the fastest growing group in the workplace. With the average age of menopause being 51, more and more employees and employers are having to deal with this transition in the workplace. According to a recent survey of 2,000 women aged 45 to 67, conducted by Koru Kids; nearly 1 million women in the UK are considering leaving the workforce due to lack of support around the menopause.

Impact of menopause on the workforce

October is Menopause Awareness Month, with World Menopause Day in 2022 falling on 18th October. Here are some facts & figures from a 2019 CIPD Survey conducted by YouGov amongst 1,409 women experiencing menopause symptoms.

• 59% of working women between the ages of 45 and 55, who are experiencing menopause symptoms, say it has a negative impact on them at work.
• 58% said they experience more stress.
• 65% said they were less able to concentrate.
• 52% said they felt less patient with clients and colleagues.
• 30% had to take sick leave due to symptoms, but only 25% felt able to tell their line manager the real reason for their absence.

Menopause vs perimenopause

Menopause is a singular point in time, twelve months after a woman’s last period. Once this milestone is passed individuals are considered post-menopausal. The period of time leading up to menopause is perimenopause, the transition between the fertile years and menopause.

The average age of menopause in the UK is 51, with perimenopause lasting anywhere from a few months to ten years before that! Most women enter perimenopause between their mid-30s and late-40s and can expect to reach menopause between the ages of 45-55.

It can be a challenging time for lots of women, as they find themselves on a hormonal rollercoaster leading to all kinds of unpleasant symptoms. That’s not to say everyone suffers through perimenopause, many breeze through it!

What are the symptoms of menopause and perimenopausal hormonal changes?

Where to start!? Whilst many are aware of stereotypical symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats, there are many more that are not commonly known and can create a lot of concern amongst women.

So here goes… all the following can be the result of perimenopausal hormonal changes:

• Hot flushes
• Dry skin
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Joint pain
• Headaches/migraine
• Mood swings
• Poor memory and brain fog (you’re not going mad!)
• Breast pain
• Weight gain
• Fatigue
• Night sweats
• Insomnia
• Palpitations
• Changes to menstruation
• Bladder weakness
• Loss of libido
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Tinnitus
• Irritability

Supporting your employees

Until recently, this time in a woman’s life has been a taboo subject and many women have little understanding of what to expect. Knowing the signs and symptoms can help individuals better understand their experience, manage symptoms, and get the support they need. Diet and lifestyle change can really help support hormone health before, during and after perimenopause.

Coach Mentoring Ltd. is happy to recommend nutritional therapy practitioner and registered nutritionist Beth Hughes. She has a particular interest in women’s hormonal health and focusses on women aged 40+ in her practice where she sees clients 1-to-1 and delivers group sessions.

Group education & support for menopause

For organisations who are interested in improving knowledge of perimenopause and menopause, Beth offers a series of five webinars. One webinar aimed at line-managers, with a further four webinars for employees who are currently experiencing or approaching perimenopause. There is also an option to add face-to-face workshops for those employees looking for more comprehensive support.

• Webinar 1: For line-mangers:
  • The basics of perimenopause and menopause
  • Diet & lifestyle to support health through this transition and beyond
  • Tips for supporting employees

• Webinar 2: For employees: What is perimenopause/menopause?
  • The basics of perimenopause and menopause
  • Diet & lifestyle to support health through this transition and beyond

• Webinar 3: For employees: Managing hot flushes & night sweats
  • Blood sugar balancing
  • Trigger foods to avoid
  • Stress

• Webinar 4: For employees: Supporting mental wellbeing
  • Foods to support mood & brain health
  • Importance of sleep & how to support it

• Webinar 5: For employees: Supporting a healthy weight
  • Building a healthy plate
  • The role of sleep, stress & movement

Feedback from clients:

“The sessions have been invaluable and we have had amazing feedback from all who have attended. This will definitely form part of our toolkit to raise awareness and support creating gender equality in our workplace.”

– Nicky Sanderson – Head of UK Sales Solutions, Advantage Smollen

“I have personally found these sessions very informative and have shared much of the information with friends who have expressed envy as their employers have not been as generous with raising awareness or being sympathetic to their needs.”

– Anonymous – Attendee of webinar series on perimenopause

“Beth gives you the understanding and ideas on techniques to smooth the way through perimenopause”

– Rachael – Attendee of perimenopause workshop

Individual support

Beth will be running her online group programme ‘Nutrition Foundations for Perimenopause’ commencing Thursday 12th January at 7.30pm.

This programme empowers individuals to support their health through perimenopause and beyond. Over six 1-hour sessions various aspects of nutrition for perimenopause will be explored, with a focus on real food and practical, achievable advice.

Participants can expect to gain

• Clarity!
• A much better understanding of perimenopause and menopause
• A menu of simple diet & lifestyle changes you can put in place to reduce symptoms and support:
  • Better energy levels
  • More stable mood
  • Healthy weight
  • Effective digestion & detoxification
  • Restorative sleep
• A personal action plan and the opportunity to review progress with Beth.

Participant feedback

“Beth’s perimenopause course was the perfect mix of informative, engaging and actionable.”

“I highly recommend Beth. I sought her advice when flushes and night sweats overwhelmed me. A few small adjustments to my diet saw the night sweats stop and the flushes reduce dramatically”

Find further details or book your place,

Or get in touch with the Coach Mentoring Ltd. team to talk about introducing menopause mentoring or any other support we can offer.