A new report from the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Menopause outlines how menopause symptoms can have a debilitating impact on the day-to-day lives of women
This report is well worth a read and below we have reproduced the conclusions.
The findings of the report demonstrate that widespread action is needed across all spheres to improve the situation for those going through the menopause, and the families, friends and colleagues affected by it. It raises concerns about the socio-economic divide emerging between women who are able to access the right treatment, and those who lose out. It makes 13 recommendations for the government, NHS and other bodies to initiate change and dispel the long-held taboo around menopause.
The evidence that we have received during this inquiry and our findings clearly demonstrate that widespread action is needed across all spheres to improve the situation for those going through the menopause, and the families, friends and colleagues affected by it. We are already beginning to see the tide of change as the menopause has begun breaking through into public discourse in the year since the #MenopauseRevolution campaign was launched. But this is just the start.
The taboo surrounding the menopause prevails in all corners of our society, in workplaces, within families and among friends, in education, and within the medical profession as some are not given the tools they need to adequately support women through their menopause journeys.
In this report we have considered what government and the relevant public bodies such as the NHS, NICE, Health Education England and the MHRA can do to vastly improve the support available for women suffering as a result of the menopause.
Whether the inability to get the right diagnosis at the right time, difficulties in accessing HRT or the right treatment, a lack of support from their employer while struggling at work, or simply not being able to recognise what is happening to them and their bodies and seek help, put together, menopause can have a seriously detrimental impact on the day-to-day lives of women.
We are particularly concerned about the socio-economic divide emerging between women who are able to access the right treatment, and those who lose out in the HRT postcode lottery and do not have the inancial means to seek treatment elsewhere. Despite recognition from Government in the Women’s Health Strategy and through the formation of the Menopause Taskforce of the need to intervene to improve the situation, we are yet to see what action will be taken forward to tackle the array of challenges the APPG explored in its inquiry and in this report.
We urge the Government to consider the recommendations made in this report and take decisive action to improve the menopause landscape for women and those experiencing it across the UK, but also for the benefit of wider society, productivity and the economy. We look forward to working with that part of the process.
