My top takeaways from the National Menopause Summit in Cork...

AS someone hurtling towards 46 at the end of this week there was probably no better place for me to be than the National Menopause Summit in Cork city last Friday.

If I didn’t think I was peri-menopausal beforehand, then I definitely know I am now!

Brain fog – tick

Night sweats – tick

Vanishing waist line – tick, tick, ticky tick!

Increasing lack of confidence – tick

Fatigue – tick

Mood swings – ask my husband and daughters – the reply will be a resounding, ‘yes’!

Have I asked myself lately ‘Where’s the old me?’, ‘Why can’t I sleep’? ‘What the hell is happening’... well yes!

And if that wasn’t bad enough... there is more to come.

Opening the summit, Dr Sumi Dunne, GP, (who many will know from Operation Transformation), a rural GP, caught all our attention with this description of the Menopause Fairy: “At first she steals your figure, then she steals your sleep, next your mood, your patience, your eyesight and finally she eats your brain.

All she leaves you with is tungsten chin hair, a muffin top, hot flushes, itchy skin, 10 million moods, a dodgy memory and an endless need for naps, coffee , wine and carbs.

Bloody hilarious... it had us all in stitches, only the reality isn’t so funny.

Reflecting on the huge strides being made in the area of menopause awareness in recent years, co-founder of the summit, Sinead McNamara said: “So much has been achieved in so little time.”

And she’s right. I’m optimistic about the knowledge, supports and developments there will be when the next generation, like my daughters, have to navigate this stage of life. And I think of the women gone before us, like our great grandmothers, grandmothers and even mothers, who had to ‘shut up’ and put up with what can be a crushing stage of womanhood, when unsupported.

Yes the conversation has begun, it’s being dragged kicking and screaming out of the shadows, but there’s still a way to go, especially in educating the current generation of perimenopausal and menopausal women – as well as their GPs, their husbands, their partners, their children, and their employers.

As MC of the summit, Grainne Seoige said: “The doors are open, we just need to push them.”

The key take home message, from Dr Sumi was: “If it’s not adding up – think peri-menopause/ menopause.”

She suggests talking to your GP who will help you manage your symptoms, in an individual way – look at your lifestyle, look at your diet. HRT might be an option, but there’s non-HRT management available too.

She advocated that women use what is called the Green Scale – founded in 1976 – just one year before I was born. How come I’ve never heard of it until now? Well 600 Cork women got to take one home in their goody bags from the summit – local GPs be prepared for an army of them heading your way, with their scores, any day now. The scale helps you measure your symptoms at that moment in time.

Sumi said: “Your symptoms are valid. Do tell us.”

MENOPAUSE IN THE WORKPLACE

A large focus of the day was on menopause in the workplace. Addressing this area was Katie Ridge, BL Head of Employment Relations Adare HRM.

She spoke about the importance of legislating for menopause in the workplace – after all we legislate well for pregnancy.

She presented us with some interesting stats - a total of 651,854 women are affected by menopause at any one time in Ireland – some of 419,000 of which are in the workplace. That is a huge cohort and it’s growing year on year.

Menopause isn’t just a blip, something that will pass in a few weeks, or few months – it starts between the ages of 45 to 55, but can be early onset too – and symptoms can last for 4-8 years. We heard from one woman who still has symptoms 10 years on. That’s a long time to be navigating a workplace, if you are suffering from brain fog, hot flushes, crippling anxiety, loss of confidence.

Shockingly – up to 60% of women experiencing menopausal symptoms report it has a negative effect on their work.

More shocking still – around 12% have felt the need to leave their employment due to the menopause, Katie told us.

This not only results in the exodus of talent from workplaces, but also has a detrimental effect on women themselves, their earning power (some fall into poverty). They are stepping away from a career that they have invested so much of their time, energy and effort to all their life.

Why are they leaving do you say? Because they don’t feel able to discuss what is happening to them and they don’t feel supported in their workplace adequately as they navigate this time in their life.

Currently no country in Europe provides for menopause leave - this is something that needs to change.

Katie said: “Limiting menopause to the medical/ private sphere is very problematic. 

It fails to address menopause as a workplace issue.

She sees a need to legislate on menopause.

“It is time to put menopause on the legislative agenda.”

One woman told us how her company is leading the way in Ireland as an employer, supporting women through menopause. Joanne Healy, Head of Group Employee Relations at Bank of Ireland said the meno population is the fastest growing population in the workforce. Around 3,000 female employees at BOI fall into this category. In October 2022 BOI introduced a meno policy, which includes 10 days leave (30 employees have used this to-date).

Their aim is to offer their employees support, in an individualistic way, and they are acutely aware that not one size fits all.

BOI has been engaging in awareness raising through e-learning, Webinars, Podcasts - for all staff, including managers, and have also been offering targeted supports to women affected by menopause – providing colleagues with access to meno experts, counselllors, and offered hybrid working too.

Continuing on the theme of the workplace, the summit was also addressed by Loretta Dignam, founder of The Menopause Hub – which recently opened their Cork branch in Ballincollig. This is where women can go to get clinical care.

When her menopause journey began, she thought she could just ‘power through’... but she realised she was wrong.

The Menopause Hub was founded to offer adequate, clinical support, but it doesn’t just stop there. They do huge advocacy work, campaigning on menopause issues. They are also doing great work in the area of the workplace – recently launching the Menopause Workplace Excellence Awards. And an accreditation process is being launched at the end of the month for workplaces. Their focus she said is Awareness, Accessibility and Affordability.

We need to make menopause mainstream. To smash the taboo.

She referred to a survey recently carried out by The Menopause Hub which found:

84% of respondents said menopause affect them at work (26% said a lot, while 58% said a little).

1/3 thought of leaving work.

8% actually did leave.

What do women want? was the question Loretta asked in the survey:

86% want free health checks for women over 40

82% want education for GPS

82% want free HRT

93.3% feel the government are not doing enough.

She called on women to join the meno revolution, stating: “The next generation cannot suffer in silence.”

Another highlight of the day was an interview MC Grainne Seoige did with broadcaster Mariella Frost, aged 60, who says she blundered into the area of menopause and faced a “black hole of ignorance”.

She admitted to being “angry and shocked” when writing her book, Cracking the Menopause. It came on the back of a documentary she did for the BBC on the menopause in 2018 The Truth About Menopause.

She described the level of ignorance around menopause as “off the richter scale” She found it hard to fathom as it is something that 50% of the population goes through.

“We knew nothing about it”.

She spoke about the importance of knowledge. And also gave a refreshing perspective of life post menopause, after you come out the other side: “Women are imbued with a confidence at this stage of life.”

She described it as a “liberation”.

The day continued with some excellent speakers – we only wish we had more column inches today to dedicate to them (but watch this space in WoW! in the months ahead!)

Dr Tanya Mulcahy, spoke of The FemTech Revolution, which will play an important role in how we navigate menopause into the future

Dr Karen Soffe, of the newly opened Complex Menopause Clinic in Cork addressed us, along with Dr Brenda Moran, also from the new Clinic. Shalini Wiseman gave a refreshingly honest and open talk about sex, exercise and pelvic health.

While menopause and nutrition was the topic discussed by Aveen Bannon, Founder and Dietician at the Dublin Nutrition Centre and Dr Samantha Cushen, Lecture Researcher and CORU Registered Dietician at UCC. Dr Marie Finn spoke on Menopause and Mental Health; Managing Brain Fog, anxiety and stress.

The two different panels on the day had representatives from all walks of life, FORSA, the gardaí, Bus Eireann, a representative from the Independent Living Movement Ireland, as well as many more medical professionals and experts. Equity for all women in the area of menopause awareness and supports was something raised a number of times during the day.

Loretta Dignam said by 2030 there will be 1.1bn menopausal women in the world – 12.55 of the global population. 47 million enter menopause annually. The conversation has begun. It’s time to listen, because judging by those stats, clearly, we are not going anywhere.

For more on the National Menopause Summit See

www.nationalmenopausesummit.com