The conversation around menopause has opened up; most of us understand what it means to go through the menopause, how it affects health and wellbeing and what we can do to manage difficult symptoms.
BUT
.
Do we really know
why
menopause matters? Estrogen levels drop - so what? Periods get heavier - so what? It matters because estrogen protects heart health and if levels drop dramatically, women are at greater risk of a cardiac event. And heavy periods are not trivial if, for example, you're a primary school teacher who can't just abandon your children mid-lesson to deal with flooding, or a police officer who can't access a toilet to change sanitary protection. Women in these situations - women like you; your mother; your sister; your friend; your partner - often just give up. On work, on their careers, on their health. And this isn't even taking into account those who can't access any healthcare support to take HRT, or enter a conversation in which that might become a possibility.
Diane Danzebrink was one of the first people to take up the fight to have menopause recognized and covered on the school PSHE curriculum and her campaigns have been critical to the way in which menopause is no longer seen as a shameful or trivial experience. Her book
Making Menopause Matter
reminds us not only of what menopause is - of the scope, nature and impact of symptoms and of how we can manage them - but also why it is important that we continue to campaign for access to support, enhanced understanding and an acceptance that it is not a seamless transition for many. Diane's wise, compassionate writing offers practical advice on symptoms along with deeper insights into how we can better support those whose lives are hugely impacted by their menopause.
Part manifesto, a little memoir, plenty of self-help and ultimately a call to arms for society, public health and individuals alike,
should be required reading for all.