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Scorching flashes, reminiscence loss, issue concentrating, temper swings, urinary incontinence and joint ache: these are simply among the greater than 100 signs related to the menopause, a pure course of that every one girls undergo after they cease ovulating and menstruating, sometimes between the ages of 45 and 55.
Along with the stigma and discrimination girls face throughout this organic transition, the bodily and psychological results can negatively impression their high quality of life and productiveness at work.
A research printed in Frontiers in Reproductive Well being by Clara Selva Olid, researcher on the Behavioral Design Lab (BDLab), which is affiliated to the UOC’s analysis unit on Digital Well being, Well being and Nicely-being, has discovered that implementing public actions within the political, social and organizational spheres will help scale back discrimination and social stigma, counteract the dearth of consideration given to this stage of life and considerably enhance each high quality of life and the well being care acquired by girls.
Giving girls a voice
Drawing on interviews with 20 girls between the ages of 45 and 60 who’ve skilled each bodily and psychological signs associated to the menopause and postmenopause over the previous 5 years, Selva Olid, additionally a member of the College of Psychology and Schooling Sciences on the UOC, has developed a 10-point proposal with key areas for motion: social consciousness, schooling, and office and well being measures.
“My aim was to give women a voice in the design of more inclusive and effective policies to better support them through this transition,” defined Selva Olid, who believes that it’s important for ladies to be actively concerned within the design, implementation and analysis of public insurance policies to make sure that they really mirror their wants and lived experiences.
The research additionally brings to the fore the talk on adapt such initiatives to the completely different social and financial realities confronted by girls in Spain.
Proposed actions
In accordance with the Catalan Institute of Statistics (IDESCAT), there are practically a million girls within the area between the ages of 45 and 60—the age vary by which this transition sometimes begins. Components corresponding to well being, genetics, sociocultural context and publicity to environmental elements finally decide when menstruation ends for good.
Nonetheless, perimenopause can start a number of years earlier, bringing irregular durations and hormonal fluctuations. As soon as menstruation stops, postmenopausal signs, which have an effect on eight out of 10 girls, can final for a number of years.
Regardless of being a pure course of that every one girls undergo, there’s typically a lack of understanding. The general public well being system additionally tends to be over-medicalized, and myths and discriminations persist.
Classes and particular measures of presidency motion. Credit score: Frontiers in Reproductive Well being (2024). DOI: 10.3389/frph.2024.1483267
Towards this background, Selva Olid’s research aimed to establish and analyze actions that public organizations in Spain can take to assist girls in the course of the menopausal transition. The research concludes with an motion plan in key areas: the social sphere, public well being and the office, and medical analysis.
1. Social sphere. The ladies who took half within the research referred to as for measures to extend the social visibility of the menopause, elevate consciousness of its results and develop methods for assist and normalization. One such measure could be to incorporate the menopause at school curricula, which might assist normalize it as simply one other stage of life.
“It’s about developing support strategies to prevent many women from feeling isolated or ashamed, and ultimately to break the stigma,” mentioned Selva Olid, including that “we need to work to empower women to take more control over their own health.”
Function fashions have an extremely constructive impression, and on this respect Selva Olid believes that social media play a useful function in normalizing this stage of life—not like conventional media, which have lagged behind in supporting this mindset shift.
2. Public well being. It’s vital to have well being professionals educated in menopause, in addition to entry to psychological assist, assist teams or workshops on wholesome habits.
Selva Olid mentioned that “although it’s a natural stage of life that can have a significant impact on a woman’s health and work performance, the financial cost of treatments to relieve symptoms and improve well-being is borne solely by women. But it should be a social responsibility—women don’t choose to go through the menopause.”
3. The office. The interviews performed as a part of the research present that, with the intention to create a extra equitable working atmosphere, there’s a want for obligatory work-life steadiness insurance policies and clearly outlined menopause assist. This consists of authorities incentives for organizations that implement finest practices and promote employees coaching and consciousness to scale back gender bias, encourage open dialogue and assist normalize this life stage.
Measures corresponding to appointing menopause function fashions in firms, providing versatile working preparations and variations (e.g. extra breathable uniforms), putting in extra water stations within the office, permitting distant working and offering menopause-related go away may be extremely efficient in serving to girls to steadiness work with the challenges of this stage, whereas additionally decreasing absenteeism and stopping job loss or resignation.
On this regard, Catalonia is a pioneer in Spain, having adopted the Complete Plan for Menstrual and Climacteric Fairness 2023–2025, which represents a big step ahead in recognizing menstrual and menopausal well being as a matter of rights and well-being, each within the office and in society.
Nonetheless, as Selva Olid identified, “it’s still not enough to achieve real equity, as it’s not a binding law that forces action to be taken in the workplace.”
4. Medical analysis. Extra funding and assets must be dedicated to analysis into the menopause, significantly therapies and therapies to alleviate signs and stop long-term well being issues.
“To date, research into women’s health, if it has taken place at all, has focused on the reproductive phase, leaving menopause in the background, despite its profound physical, emotional and social impact,” Selva Olid mentioned.
She added that her curiosity on this space stems from “the need to increase scientific knowledge about this stage of life and to provide data that can help improve women’s quality of life.”
Extra info:
Clara Selva, Proposals for built-in public administration of the menopausal transition and postmenopause via Spanish girls’s experiences: a qualitative research, Frontiers in Reproductive Well being (2024). DOI: 10.3389/frph.2024.1483267
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