Menopause in Nursing

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Over 3/4 of the NHS working population is female and many of us are working right through our menopause, this means that we are all, regardless of our age or gender, working with or alongside menopausal peers who can experience the symptoms for over ten years often from their 40s and earlier. 

"World Menopause Day is held every year on the 18th October. The day was designated by the International Menopause Society (IMS), tweeting as @IntlMenopause to raise awareness of the menopause and to support options to improve health and well-being for women in mid-life and beyond. Find out more about IMS here. 

The following are findings from a recent UK study by @fawcettsociety :

NHS England currently has a team working at a national level to explore solutions to ensure there is menopause knowledge, awareness, and support across the workforce. 

Your place of work may have introduced a "Menopause Ambassador" program, offering support as part of many Health and Wellbeing Ambassador programs aiming to ensure your organisation is informed and supportive of everyone; Have you got one, have you become a Menopause Ambassador?

@NHSEmployers have a lot of supportive information and share the following information that they feel NHS Employers should be aware of:

      >>  There are 3.5 million women over 50 in the workplace in the UK.

      >>  Women make up 77 per cent of the 1.3 million people of the NHS workforce.

      >>  In the UK, the average age for a person to go through menopause is 51.

      >>  Symptoms of the menopause can last up to 10 years.

      >>  Symptoms range from cognitive, physical and psychological symptoms (for example hot flushes, muscular aches,             poor concentration, anxiety and headaches).

      >>  Around one in 100 people that experience the menopause, will go through the transition before age of 40.

      >>  Three out of four people experience symptoms: one in four can experience severe symptoms, which impact on their day-today life.

On this chat we'll be chatting through the following questions for World Menopause Day with you:

                                                                                                                                      You can use this tweetchat for participatory CPD / Revalidation via #MyWe, here's a how-to guide, and the login link to #MyWe 

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Regardless of your role, whether you are a mental health nurse or not, if you are passionate about our work then you are very welcome to join in.

Do join in, your views, ideas, and shared experience add real value to others on the chat.