Breaking The Menopause Stigma: How To Help Yourself And Others Embrace This New Phase Of Life

The Tea

Despite being a natural phase of any woman’s life, menopause is something heavily stigmatized and forgotten in society. Young women want to avoid it and put it on the back burner for as long as possible. Older women experiencing it are embarrassed or afraid to talk about it. This unhelpful combination only drives the stigma further, when instead it deserves to be talked about so everyone can better understand the feminine experience.

Below we’ll be sharing ways to break the menopause stigma once and for all, so women everywhere can learn to embrace this challenging phase of life.

The Brew

What Is Menopause?

Menopause signifies the end of your menstrual cycle. It’s diagnosed after you’ve gone 12 months without a menstrual period. It may come with symptoms such as night sweats, hot flashes, irritability, and mood swings. Women may struggle with work-life balance during this time. A recent study carried out at Forth into menopause in the workplace, found that:

• 63% of women said their working life had been negatively affected in some way by their symptoms
• 29% had significantly lost self-confidence
• Only 6% of the whole sample group said that they did not experience any menopause symptoms at work

Why Is Menopause Still A Taboo?

Many women feel ashamed or uncomfortable talking about menopause. They may believe that reproductive health shouldn’t be discussed publicly or that menopause indicates a loss of femininity. It doesn’t help that society has a perception that women should always be youthful and fertile. A study done in China said menopausal women are regarded as “abnormal people”, and are often discriminated against and ostracized, especially in the privacy of their homes.

To add fuel to the fire, many women still aren’t very educated about menopause. Some might be familiar with some of the symptoms, while others may not have any idea what it is. Regardless, menopause is one of the most challenging phases of any woman’s life. It’s a time when women need support, understanding, and empathy, which is why it’s crucial to start breaking the menopause taboo.

How to Help Ourselves & Others Going Through Menopause

The best way to break the taboo is to simply talk about it. Remember that menopause is a natural process. There’s nothing to feel ashamed about. If you’re currently experiencing menopause and aren’t sure how to handle the symptoms, here are a few things you can do.

1. Develop a Menopause Self-Care Plan

One of the best ways to ease your menopause symptoms is engaging in self-care through your diet and exercise.

Increase your intake of antioxidant-rich foods such as spinach, broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, berries, and cherries. Avoid spicy foods, alcohol, and fatty foods, because they can increase hot flashes.

Estrogen protects the heart when women are younger. The risk for heart disease significantly increases after menopause, says OB-GYN Tara Scott. Add heart-pumping exercises like running, swimming, and biking to your routine. A great moderate form of exercise to engage in is yoga, which can help lower your blood pressure and improve sleep.

2. Talk to your doctor

Menopause can have a significant impact on your heart and bone health. It can disrupt your cholesterol levels and cause osteoporosis, so it’s best to check with a professional if you are at risk for more serious conditions.

3. Organize a campaign for awareness of menopause

Finally, help break the stigma once and for all by organizing a campaign for menopause awareness. Educated women in urban areas are becoming more open about the topic, but there’s still a large population of rural women who don’t understand the changes going on in their bodies. Organizing a campaign can help these women while killing the menopause stigma. It’s important to start talking about menopause openly because the less alone women feel, the better their experience will be.

The Pour

There are a lot of aspects of women’s health that society overlooks. Whether it’s period pain, labor pain, or menopause, too many people still believe that women should just ‘get over it’ or that it’s a private matter that shouldn’t be discussed openly. Be a part of positive change by learning to embrace your menopausal body and talking about it!