A WOMAN from Nottingham who set up her own business to help women going through the menopause, after it took five years to convince her GP that she had symptoms, says that we need to talk more openly about health issues.
It comes as the UK marks World Menopause Day on October 18 with new statistics revealing that there are 13 million women in the UK with peri or post-menopausal symptoms.
Dr Claire Mann set up ChangeXtra after winning grants at both Nottingham and Nottingham Trent Universities. Her mission is to create a community of women who support each other through positive change and, to help with this, Claire has launched an app called Pausetrack.
She has devised an Ebook guide called ‘Surviving the Menopause’ to help those experiencing symptoms, their families, and employers and Claire has also teamed up with Derby gifting company Colleague Box to create the Menopause Self Care package.
The box contains items such as sleep spray, a stress ball and lavender bath and shower gel as well as a link where recipients can download Claire’s popular Ebook.
“I was about 40 when I started to experience symptoms,” said Dr Claire.
“I just didn’t feel right; I was anxious and couldn’t quite join up the dots. I was fobbed off by my GP and offered anti-depressants.
“This led me to do my own research. I used a period tracking app and monitored my sleep but these apps weren’t perfect, hence the reason I have created one myself.”
It took until Claire was 45 before she finally felt she had made a breakthrough.
“It was my birthday – I was 45 – and I went back to my GP and asked for HRT. Doctors tend not to prescribe HRT before the age of 45.
“It’s not for everyone but, for me, it changed my life.”
Claire made changes to her lifestyle, too, and found that simple things like changing the type of exercise she did made a huge difference.
“I also learned to put myself first,” she said, “you get to an age where life is just so busy; I have four children and parents to look after. Life is so busy but once I began putting aside a little time for myself, I found that it made a massive difference.”
Claire is now on a mission to help more people, through Change Xtra, Pausetrack and via the E-book she has put together for Colleague Box that gives advice on menopause symptoms and medication available.
There are currently more than 30 recognised symptoms of the menopause, and the peri-menopause – when hormone levels begin to fluctuate, and symptoms may appear – can begin in the early to mid-40s.
Symptoms last, on average, between four and eight years.
Natalie Bamford, CEO of Colleague Box, said: “As a woman approaching her 40s and mother of two daughters, talking openly about the menopause and how it affects us is all very important.
“A staggering 900,000 women in the UK quit their job due to the menopause and I believe that businesses have a responsibility to be more understanding when it comes to topics such as mental health and the menopause.
“Employment tribunals involving menopause increased by 44% in 2021, with 14 million working days being lost in the UK to symptoms of the menopause. We’ve given careful consideration to the contents of our Menopause Self Care Package, filling it with products that can help with some of the common symptoms of peri-menopause and menopause.”
The collaboration between Colleague Box and Dr Claire Mann came about after a networking event hosted by the East Midlands Chamber and, more recently, ChangeXtra was announced as a finalist in the Outstanding Contribution to Work in STEM at the Chamber’s Enterprising Women awards.
East Midlands Chamber director of resources Lucy Robinson said: “The menopause is rapidly rising up the agenda for employers as part of their equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategies.
“Creating a truly inclusive workplace requires having a full understanding of employees’ needs at all stages of their lives, but likewise many businesses would benefit from education in order to spot the signs of when staff may require their support.
“It’s fantastic to see such a fruitful collaboration that could be very impactful for our region’s business community and workforce.”
To find out more, visit www.colleaguebox.co.uk or connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
ENDS
For further information, contact Kerry Ganly at Penguin PR on 07734 723951 or email [email protected]
