Suffolk menopause specialist calling for end to sigma and secrecy around the condition
New research shows 50% of women say they don't or didn't know how to prepare for the menopause.
A menopause specialist from Suffolk wants to change the conversation around the condition, and is calling for more to be done to get women more support.
Research shows 50% of women say they don't, or didn't, know how to prepare for the menopause, whilst two in five say they feel let down by the level of information available
Emma Bardwell, who lives in Aldeburgh, is a Registered Nutritionist and Menopause Specialist.
"It's really important to normalise this conversation, particularly in the workplace. The research shows that women don't feel like they are getting support by their employees."
"We spend a lot of time at work, so it's a really obvious place to help women."
"We also need to make sure that men are included in the conversation because every woman will go through menopause, but every man will be affected because they will know somebody who they could potentially support through the whole process."
"There is a lot of misinformation and I think we need to keep things really realistic."
"There are a 34 plus symptoms and essentially what's happening is that our hormones are depleting, but they don't go in a nice gradual decline they're very much like a roller coaster."
As most of us spend the day at work, this can be a difficult situation to navigate for women going through menopause, as only a quarter believe that their workplace is knowledgeable and understanding about it.
Of those who have, or are going through menopause, three in ten (28%) have felt pressured to hide symptoms of menopause at work.