20 years ago, my mother was going through the menopause. It wasn’t something that she discussed with me or my sister. At that stage, I thought that menopause was something to celebrate! It would mean I would no longer have the pain and suffering of monthly menstruation, which for me is incredibly painful and debilitating.
How mistaken I was. Being perimenopausal myself, I now realise how confusing and insidious the effects are, not just on a woman’s body, but her consciousness and capacity to cope. Because personal vitality is so difficult to quantify, many women spend up to a whole decade in perimenopause without ever realising what they’re going through. As of 2020, nearly half of women around the globe were unaware of perimenopause and were surprised to discover it had started.
Instead, after years of practice coping with periods, it’s natural for many women to battle on and put everything down to ‘an off day’.
Many women still believe the myth that menopause is simply about your periods stopping and experiencing hot flushes. All too often, the complexities of menopause are lost; the way it can impact almost every aspect of a woman’s life, from sleep, energy levels, dry eyes, memory, sex drive, vaginal pain, allergies, skin irritation…the list goes on. And how does one measure something like mojo anyway?
For all too many, the effects of perimenopause can be devastating. Between the ages of 45 and 55, female suicides are at their highest. 62% of divorces are initiated by women in this age group. Depression rates double. And no one yet knows how many women fall out of the workforce due to undiagnosed perimenopause. Yet still, only 15% of women in the UK between 45 and 65 have taken advantage of HRT.
Today, things are starting to change. Thanks to brave women like Davina McCall and Mariella Frostrup and specialists like Dr Louise Newson, a movement has begun that’s gathering pace all the time. Slowly, the message is starting to get through that perimenopause doesn’t happen when you’re old, but while you’re still active and in the thick of life.
Two years ago, only 10% of peri and post-menopausal women took HRT, so real progress is happening. But this movement still has a very long way to go.
As the movement grows, women are becoming advocates for other women, society is beginning to talk more freely and the corporate world is beginning to address ways to support their female employees through menopause.
It is crazy to think that in 2023 menopause is still a topic that women need to navigate through. There is so much work that still needs to be done to support, inform and guide women, as well as provide solutions.
I’m grateful to this current generation of women and the brands stepping up to help women through menopause… and to ensure that future generations have all the information and access to support and healthcare that previous ones never had.
At Hummingbird Insights, we’re an all-female team that’s deeply passionate about championing women’s health. Through our consumer understanding, branding and NPD work with leading brands, we are helping to support women’s health and create positive experiences. From a business perspective, this space is a tremendous opportunity for brands. From a human perspective, anyone with a heart will want to do their bit to help. We’re here. We’re ready. We’re passionate about this. And we bring all the expertise your brand needs to help play its part.