Scarborough woman welcomes first menopause education course
The programme's being hosted by University College London
The UK's first menopause education course is being launched to help people going through the experience.
It has been inspired by classes run by the National Childbirth Trust for those parents who are expecting.
University College London will host the programme from September, which will educate people about symptoms and treatments linked to the biological process.
The course is being welcomed by Louise Crammond, who is going through the menopause, and works for Age UK North Yorkshire Coast and Moors, which is based in Scarborough.
They have support services in place for anyone going through the menopause, including their own staff members.
She said: "The medical professions lack training, education and empathy. Men should be advocates. They may not suffer from the symptoms but if you have a partner that's going through this, you and your children are affected and understanding why things happen makes things a lot easier to manage.
"When women hit or start perimenopause, which can be in their late 30s and early 40s, there are changes that happen to your body because of a lack of hormones or a change in hormones. There's no reason for this. You don't understand this because there's been no education.
"The impact on a woman going through menopause and perimenopause affects all those around her. If there isn't any education then you have no support. You have judgement. If you're at work and you're struggling or if you're struggling to sleep, how do you cope with the pressure of work if your employer doesn't understand?
"My mum has dementia and so what started to happen was that I couldn't finish sentences, couldn't remember words, people's names and I was in this fog and haze. It got to the point where I had to go and find out if this was dementia. I went to my GP, explained all my symptoms, they took blood tests and then they told me I was perimenopausal.
"My GP wasn't supportive. They just told me to read a website and said 'tell us what you want.' I had to go and do the research and then I ended up on HRT which there is a huge amount of misinformation around.
"I couldn't sleep, I was having night sweats, I couldn't think and I couldn't operate. If I hadn't have had that Hormone Replacement Therapy, I wouldn't be here now. I wouldn't have been able to get out of the house. It was life-changing for me."
Anyone wanting more information or help can contact Louise on louise.cramond@ageuknycm.org.uk
The menopause education course
Those behind the National Menopause Education and Support Programme said they hope it will give women reaching menopausal age a better understanding of changes happening in their bodies, as well as peer support from others going through a similar experience.
Across a number of weeks, those taking part will be given independent, up-to-date and evidence-based menopause education, including symptoms and treatments, in a course delivered by trained healthcare professionals.
The course, designed by experts at University College London (UCL) and leading women's health charities, has been inspired by those offered by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) during pregnancy.
Work on developing the programme will begin at UCL in September and those behind it hope it is something which companies can offer to employees.
Research published earlier this year by Professor Joyce Harper, who is leading the programme, has suggested that of the 829 postmenopausal women questioned, 90% were not taught about the menopause at school and 60% only started looking for information about it when they began to have symptoms.
Prof Harper, a professor in the Institute for Women's Health at UCL, said they want to help women access the information they need "to manage the changes they experience in this part of their life, in the best way possible".
She said: "Research has shown that women are currently poorly educated about the menopause and often go into it not understanding what to expect.
"Some menopausal symptoms can cause psychological issues and women may mistake their symptoms for mental health issues or other concerning causes, and this can have a negative effect on their wellbeing."
Prof Harper said they want to "keep the price of the programme low to make it accessible to everyone" and plan to work with firms so they can make it available to employees.
The programme is in partnership with the charities Wellbeing of Women and Sophia Forum, and is supported by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and British Menopause Society.
Janet Lindsay, chief executive of Wellbeing of Women, said: "Every woman deserves access to high-quality information and menopause support, yet as research from Professor Harper shows, too many women haven't been given the knowledge they desperately need and deserve.
"We hope this work will empower a generation of women to understand the changes to their bodies during menopause and access help to manage their symptoms."