Almost all women experience menopause, when you haven’t had periods for 12 months. Some women get off easy, some experience difficult symptoms. But it doesn’t have to be a negative thing experience. The World Health Organization says “menopause can offer an important opportunity to reassess one’s health, lifestyle, and goals.”
Despite around half of the world’s population experiencing menopause, we still feel a bit uncomfortable or embarrassed taking about it. This means that many women feel underprepared and uninformed about menopause. The result is that, “menopause is either borne in quiet suffering or else over-medicalised”, according to medical journal The Lancet. It’s time that changed.
World Menopause Day, 18 October, is a chance for us to change the conversation. It’s a day of awareness, of challenging outdated notions and of fostering an environment where the transition into menopause is acknowledged, understood and supported.
World Menopause Day sheds light on the need to talk about menopause openly, so nobody feels they're experiencing it alone.
So, how can you help make a difference?
1. Start open conversations: Encourage discussions about menopause with your friends and social groups. Just as we talk about pregnancy, childbirth, or other life changes, menopause should also have its place in our daily conversations.
2. Foster support: Talk to your workplace about how they can provide support for women experiencing menopausal symptoms. More and more workplaces are offering flexible working arrangements, menopause leave and staff sensitivity training so that colleagues can better understand each other and foster a caring, supportive work environment.
3. Celebrate in solidarity: If you're in Sydney, Prevention Australia has a wonderful way to celebrate World Menopause Day, in collaboration with our partners HCF, Promensil, Skin Doctors, and Fernwood Fitness. We're hosting a free yoga class at the Sydney Botanic Gardens on 18 October at 8.30am, with special guest, actress and author of Queen Menopause Alison Brahe.
It’s a chance for us to come together and take the opportunity to celebrate being women and how we can work together to break the stigma around menopause.
In the spirit of celebration, we'll be handing out goodie bags worth more than $100 including a yoga mat to remember the day.
For more information or to register and secure your place, head to our event page here.
So, whether you’re riding the menopause wave or know someone who is, this World Menopause Day, let’s unite to normalise menopause and celebrate, embrace and journey together.
Newsletter
