Help and support for you
Here you will find some help to manage your menopause, how to talk to a healthcare professional, what to do if your symptoms are affecting you at work, including making workplace adjustment recommendations and also information about what support is on offer for you in the workplace. Don't suffer in silence.
- Talking to your GP or other healthcare provider
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If you are suffering from menopausal symptoms to the point they’re getting in the way of you enjoying life, it’s time to talk to your doctor or other health care provider. But sometimes that’s easier said than done. We all know how difficult it can often be just to get an appointment, and then it’s often only ten minutes and talking about symptoms can be hard, let alone if you feel rushed or unprepared.
So, what can you do?
- We’ve put together some helpful, straightforward tips to help you get the best from your appointment. You can access our advice sheet on How to talk to your GP
- Pausivity has a really helpful symptom checklist that you can take to your appointment. Its free to download.
- You can also use Dr Louise Newson’s app – Balance to track your symptoms.
- We understand that not everyone will want to talk to their GP and you can find further resources here including a link to complementary/alternative therapies.
Premature and Surgically induced Menopause:
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Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) information and support on very early menopause. You can find out more at https://www.daisynetwork.org.uk
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Information on hysterectomy. This provides an insight into surgically induced menopause as a result of having a hysterectomy. You can find out more at https://www.hysterectomy-association.org.uk
- The Menopause Doctor - A website that aims to empower women with necessary information to make informed decisions regarding any treatment they may take so they have more knowledge and confidence to approach their own GP to ask for help. See Balance - Homepage (balance-menopause.com).
- Guide to Managing Your Menopause
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This step by step guide will help you manage your menopause in a way that is right for you.
- What to do if menopausal symptoms are affecting you at work
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Did you know that if the menopause is affecting you at work, you are protected by the law? Henpecked has information on this available here. At the University, we want to ensure that everyone has access to the right support to manage menopausal symptoms at work.It is important to start a conversation with your line manager to discuss what reasonable adjustments you might need to help you manage your symptoms at work.
How to talk to your manager:
Henpecked have some guidance here.
Symptoms support and workplace adjustments:
You can find a Workplace Adjustment Toolkit on the EDI web pages. Although Menopause isn’t a protected characteristic, if employee is put at a disadvantage and treated less favourably because of their menopause symptoms, this could be considered discrimination. Therefore, we would expect managers to work collaboratively with staff and approve requests, unless there is a genuine business need to say no.
Symptoms can manifest both physically and psychologically, including, but not exhaustively or exclusively those listed below. The symptoms and effectiveness of support can vary between individuals and should be monitored for effectiveness, and alternatives tried if appropriate. Think about how these suggestions could be adapted if workig remotely.
Hot flushes
• Make available temperature control for work area, such as a fan on their desk or moving away from a heat source. You may need to consider impact on others in the vicinity.
• Easy access to drinking water.
• Have access to a quiet area.Heavy/light periods
• Have access to washroom facilities, with adequate time to use them.
• Make available an extra uniform if requested and applicable.
• Alert employees to the availability of sanitary product vending machines available in washrooms at key points across the university.
• Ensure storage space is available for a change of clothing.Headaches
• Ease of access to fresh drinking water.
• Provision of a quiet space to work.
• Have time out to take medication if needed.Difficulty sleeping
• Consider flexible working. The line manager should refer to the Flexible Working policy at http://www.sussex.ac.uk/humanresources/documents/flex-work-pol.pdf.. There is also a Flexible Working Guide for Managers available if this is going to be a longer term arrangement http://www.sussex.ac.uk/humanresources/documents/flexible-sussex---an-overview-for-managers.pdf
• Consider adjusting start and finish times to accommodate tiredness if requested.Low mood/depression/suicidal thoughts
• Agree time out from others, when required, without needing to ask for permission.
• Identify one of the University’s ‘menopause champions/mentors’ for the colleague to talk to if not already considered – outside of the work area.
• Identify a time out space to be able to go to have space when needed
• Promote EAP. Health Assured Health Assured are a specialist highly professional organisation that can provide a range of help at difficult times. There is a 24 hour / 365 days-a-year telephone help line 0800 358 45 68.Loss of confidence
• Line managers to ensure there are regular professional development discussions.
• Have regular protected time with manager to discuss any issues.
• Have agreed protected time to catch up with work.Poor concentration
• Discuss if there are times of the day when concentration is better or worse, and adjust working pattern accordingly if possible.
• Request to review task allocation and workload if helpful
• Request access to books for lists, action boards, or other memory-assisting equipment
• Offer quiet space to work
• Have agreements in place in an open office that an individual is having ‘protected time’, so that they are not disturbed
• Have agreed protected time to catch up with work.Anxiety and/or panic attacks
• Promote Sussex's EAP as it offers a specialist highly professional organisation that can provide a range of help at difficult times.
• Identify a ‘menopause champion/mentor’ for the colleague to talk to – outside of work their area
• Be able to have time away from their work to undertake relaxation techniques
• Undertake mindfulness activities such as breathing exercises or going for a walk. - Further information available
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Further information available:
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines: These explain how GPs can determine which treatments and interventions are most appropriate.
- The National Health Service provides an overview of menopause.
- The British Menopause Society (BMS) provides education, information and guidance for healthcare professionals specialising in post reproductive health.