Menopause is not an optional part of ageing. Every woman who reaches mid-life will experience it. So why has our country let women down so significantly during what will be an inevitable part of their lives? And why does it feel like we only talk about a woman’s health journey from puberty to childbirth, like nothing of substance or consequence happens to her after she has reproduced? It’s nonsense.
Over the past year, the Senate Community Affairs References Committee has conducted an inquiry into the impacts of menopause and perimenopause. We received 285 submissions and held seven public hearings around the country. The message from women was resoundingly clear: when it comes to their experience of menopause, they feel let down in two ways.
First, when it comes to healthcare, too often they feel unheard or dismissed, and too infrequently are they getting up to date, good quality advice when they have sought out their doctor. The doctors themselves told us they received as little as one hour training on menopause over the course of their whole degree, and that simply wasn’t enough given half their patients would experience it.
Second, the stigma that has surrounded menopause is stopping a conversation in workplaces about the flexibility and support some women may need if their symptoms are troubling. Small changes could have a massive impact, and a bit of flexibility and an open conversation between employees and employers can go a long way to ensuring women remain connected and thriving during their career prime. For some women, this flexibility could be as simple as a desk fan, a breathable uniform or a slightly later start time if they have had a rubbish night’s sleep.
To be clear, not all women will experience menopause and perimenopause in the same way. Many will move through this period of life with absolutely no impact on their work, study or relationships. But for who those who do have troubling and disruptive symptoms, we need to make sure their voices are heard, we need to smash the stigma apart and we need to get them the support they are asking for.
As a result of our Senate Inquiry, we handed down a multi-partisan report with 25 recommendations for change. These include greater inclusion of menopause in the medical curriculum and more funding for professional development for doctors and other health professionals on menopause. We want to see information about menopause and perimenopause in the school curriculum and a broader public awareness campaign. We have also asked the government to look at the right to request flexibility in workplaces, and encouraged employers to sit down with their employees to establish policies that suit women in their particular working environments.
We’re in the middle of a national conversation about menopause, and these recommendations advance that further. We now have a collective chance to show women that their voices matter. To show them that their health journey matters too – not just between puberty and childbirth – but the whole way through.
Menopause is not an optional part of ageing. Good quality primary care, and supportive workplaces, should not be optional either.
Image: Senator Marielle Smith.