World Menopause Day

Friday 18th October 2019 is World Menopause Day – a worldwide awareness call for women who face health issues when approaching, during and beyond the menopause.

The menopause is a natural process that all women will go through at an average age of 50-51. Some lucky women will sail through it with minimal symptoms, however a significant number of women will experience a range of symptoms that can adversely affect their quality of life.

There has been a lot of work in recent months to raise awareness, to ensure that GPs are fully equipped with the correct information and to ensure that employers understand how they can support their female staff.

Common symptoms of the menopause include hot flushes and night sweats, interrupted sleep pattern, mood swings, anxiety, irritability, weight gain, headaches, hair loss, overactive bladder, urinary incontinence and itchy skin. Some of these symptoms are particularly hard to deal with at work as they can cause discomfort, tiredness and embarrassment.

Here at Libraries Unlimited we have developed a Menopause at Work policy which is designed to help all of our employees understand the menopause better, and to provide managers with guidance, to ensure that our female workforce are treated fairly and without discrimination.

We also very pleased to have a good range of resources available to borrow in Devon and Torbay Libraries. These books are available to reserve online via our library catalogues or by popping into your local library.

#WorldMenopauseDay