It’s not all about the hot flushes
Today is International Women’s Day. Our Creative Services Director, Rachel Curry, has written a special blog about a key and often unspoken part of working lives.
As a teenage girl in the 1980s I had no idea of what might be happening to me in my forties. And I’m now aged 50. Nobody spoke about it - not a soul. Not my mother, my grandmother, my teacher and especially not the media. Thankfully now in 2024 there is more awareness than ever.
I am talking about menopause, peri menopause, post menopause - this whole journey is a natural change of life and can span many years.
Here are some numbers to get your head around:
My own journey has been… let’s just say… interesting.
Firstly, I noticed myself getting shitty - a lot! Then I started to say no to pretty much everything - seeing my friends, going out, exercising. Basically, I lacked joy of any kind. Then it crept into my working life. I couldn’t think straight, I couldn’t get words out. It didn’t help that I was not sleeping, I was constantly tired and anxious.
I started to keep a note of my ‘symptoms’ (surely tinnitus is not a symptom, but, oh yes, it is!) until I finally went to my GP, who luckily was a menopause specialist.
With diet, HRT and rediscovering my love of dancing, I was starting to feel more like my old self, the one I knew and the one I frankly liked a bit more. However, my periods were so debilitating they were affecting all parts of my life. This ordeal ended in a hysterectomy at the end of 2023.
So, I have now experienced all three stages to this huge natural change of life, but now I feel great- my second spring.
Now I am proud to say I’m back and I’m here for my colleagues and my friends. The menopause affects everyone, not just women.