Friday the 18th of October 2024 was World Menopause Day. The staff menopause network wanted to ensure the day was marked by hosting 2 events: one for staff and one for students.
Menopause 101
At the online staff event we were joined by Dr Emily Parfitt from the ROC clinic who is a GP specialising in menopause. As the event was open to all staff, Dr Parfitt gave an overview of what menopause is, the impact of the symptoms and possible treatments. There was a Q&A session at the end where staff asked some great questions.
Our colleague from Health and Safety, Vivienne Amakiri shared her own menopause story so far which was both poignant and relatable. Vivienne’s use of humour was a blessing as menopause can often feel very negative. This event aimed to raise awareness, serve as a myth-buster (menopause symptoms are more than hot flashes!) and to share stories. Thanks to all who contributed.
Is my mum going mad?
The Staff Menopause Network has hosted several events aimed at raising awareness and educating staff on all things menopause and felt it was important to include our student body. We delivered a student event aimed at helping students to understand that their mums are not going mad, but could be experiencing menopause. A workshop style session was delivered by Linda Engles, menopause network chair aimed at checking current understanding, and discussing how mums (aunts, sisters, friends etc) could be supported. It was great to see students interact and to already be very well informed! Psychology level 2 student Katie Henderson, completed an internship supported by the school of Psychology during the summer and she was able to share her findings following an evaluation of the current staff menopause training. Furthermore, Psychology PhD student, Undugodage Rodrigo (Chithu) shared her current research on creating a menopause toolkit.
It is fantastic to have such an open and receptive platform to share knowledge and experiences of menopause and to take steps at educating staff and students on this often taboo subject which will affect all women (including trans men and those assigned female at birth) at some point in their lives. Menopause occurs between the ages of 45-55 and has a number of symptoms including impaired memory, osteoporosis, sleep issues and anxiety and depression. 25% of women have symptoms which can be considered debilitating and 1 in 10 women leave the workplace due to the impact of menopause symptoms. It is important that everyone in our institution not only understands menopause but can be a source of support and to help us move towards a menopause friendly workplace.
If you wish to join the network please email the chair, Linda Engles at linda.engles@abdn.ac.uk.
You can access menopause resources here.
