asane

New work laws from Westminster aim to help women going through menopause

Online Niel November 13, 2024

Dr Wendy Knoops was only in her thirties when cancer treatment led to early menopause.

The sudden onset of symptoms seriously affected his work as a doctor.

And she’s not alone, as a lack of support can force some women to end their careers early.

“I had breast cancer in my late 30s and as a result I had to do chemotherapy and go on that hormone therapy,” Dr. Knoops told STV News.

“These drugs, unfortunately, put you in immediate menopause, so you’re thrown into a whole range of symptoms, which can be quite severe and quite drastic.

“After that, when you’re on hormone therapy, that can continue. From my point of view, I was 30 and suddenly entering menopause.

“This was a shock to me. I’m a medical professional, but I really wasn’t prepared for the side effects I would have.

“The most challenging symptoms I found weren’t the hot flashes and night sweats, but more about the mood swings and changes, so the mental health aspect. But also the fatigue, the fatigue, I had quite significant joint pain.

“I’ve always been quite active, on the move, and suddenly I felt like my whole body was in pain all the time.”

Legislation moving through Westminster aims to improve the situation of women going through the menopause by banning discrimination in the workplace and requiring large employers to develop support plans for staff.

The legislation will also require companies with more than 250 employees to develop plans to support women experiencing menopause symptoms.

Male MPs got a small taste of what menopause feels like on Tuesday with news that mimics one of the symptoms many women face every day.

MP Graeme Downie wears vest that mimics menopause symptoms. STV news

Graeme Downie, Labor MP for Dunfermline and Dollar, said: “First of all it was incredibly uncomfortable – feeling a sort of hot flush going up and down all the time.

“Then to leave again and not know when he will return, if he will return.

“What it should teach us is that we need a much better understanding of society about the issues faced by menopausal women, I think we need to make sure that employers are more aware of these situations and respond appropriately. “

It’s part of a campaign backed by insurance company AXA Health, whose CEO Heather Smith says it’s something she personally struggles with.

She said: “It’s important for women to feel confident in the workplace, they can be themselves in the workplace, they can be productive.

“And if they can’t, if they don’t have the right support at work for all the different phases of women’s health – whether it’s menstruation, infertility and up to menopause – then it’s very difficult to be the best.”

New guidance on women’s health issues such as menopause will be subject to consultation and could take years to develop.

But Dr Knoops says employers shouldn’t wait for the law to change to start providing better support.

“It always takes a long time for laws to change,” she said. “If you can stand up for women now, it’s better than saying ‘we’ll wait until the law tells us what to do.’

“I think because your friends and those around you your age are not always going to be going through the same experiences, it’s really hard to relate to.

“You feel like you’re completely alone and you’re the only one affected by it, but you learn very quickly that you’re not. I think part of it is because women need to share a little more, they need to talk a lot more about their own experiences.”