15% of men in East Anglia say they don’t know enough to help someone through menopause
Many only learn about menopause once they have a partner
Last updated 18th Oct 2024
1 in 5 men in East Anglia only learnt about menopause once they had a girlfriend or wife, according to research from Florette.
Many people say they wouldn’t feel confident helping someone going through it as it hasn’t been well taught.
A lot of things just weren't discussed in those days
New research reveals how women’s health is not discussed in UK households enough.
50% of UK households never speak about women’s health including periods and the menopause.
1 in 6 admit that it is spoken about in their household, but men don’t tend to be involved in the conversations.
The figures reveal that only 21% of boys were taught about women’s health by a mum/female guardian.
Stan from Peterborough did not talk much about this in his household growing up and has learnt a lot about menopause since being in a relationship and said:
"There were an awful lot of things that just weren't discussed in those days."
"It's all about awareness and knowing that these things happen and not being ignorant about them."
"I think in a world where all the information you could ever want is at your fingertips, it can take you five minutes to find out what you need to know."
"The rest of it you will find out from your partner or someone you know who is going through it. I don't think there's an excuse not to put an effort in."
"You don't have to wait until you're in a relationship."
We need to take away the taboo
However, women also feel they may not be fully clued up.
Aside from HRT, almost a third of women would be keen to know more about holistic methods they previously didn’t know could be used to treat menopausal symptoms.
2 in 5 women admitted they would always want to know about herbal methods before moving on to medication.
Emma Bardwell, a nutritionist that specialises in menopause, said:
"We need to talk about it more it's as simple as that."
"We need to not brush it under the carpet. We need to take away this taboo that it's still tinged with."
"My overarching advice when it comes to managing the menopause is to be prepared, not scared."
"With the right education, support and awareness, it can be an incredibly liberating and positive time of life and there are a wealth of strategies available to women to help them navigate their journey."