Health Tips & Articles
Menopause in the Workplace
Recently I was invited to speak to a gathering of business leaders. The topic? Perhaps somewhat surprising, I was asked to speak about menopause in the workplace. When you consider that women comprise more than 50% of the workforce in America and many of these women are between the ages of 40 and 55, the subject starts to make a great deal of sense.
Menopause is defined as the absence of menstruation for a full calendar year. At this point, a woman's ovaries are no longer functional. In other words, she is no longer producing eggs and therefore she can no longer reproduce.
Prior to menopause, a woman's body goes through a preparatory phase known as peri-menopause. A woman's estrogen level begins to rise and fall hour to hour, day to day. As you might imagine, the erratic production of estrogen has consequences. They include hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, memory loss and the inability to concentrate. As the estrogen level falls, the frequency of these symptoms rises. When stress is factored into the equation, the incidence (and severity) of the symptoms may skyrocket.
Considering that peri-menopause may last up to a decade, it becomes apparent why business leaders might be interested in a condition that may impact the performance and productivity of such a large share of the overall workforce.
Fortunately for women (and their employers), there are many treatments available to help ease the symptoms. Herbs such as black cohash, used for hundreds of years by Native Americans, as well as the inclusion of soy and flax seed in the diet both help ease and or alleviate symptoms. So does hormonal therapy. I know many women have heard about the study linking estrogen to breast cancer. I would be remiss if I didn't bring new information their attention. In July 2004, the National Institutes of Health, sponsors of the Women's Health Initiative, released a seven-year study that concludes that estrogen alone does not increase the incidence of breast cancer. This is reassuring news for the millions of women who have continued to take estrogen supplements.
Women were never supposed to experience menopause at all. Two hundred years ago, the average life expectancy was 37 years. Women's ovaries were fully functional throughout their lives. Today the average life expectancy is 77 years, with the onset of menopause somewhere between the ages of 49 to 51.
Menopause is an important health issue for women. When people ask me what a woman should look for in a physician during her pre-menopausal years, I suggest one who listens and is open to new therapies. Furthermore, I suggest that women learn as much as they can about the subject and how it impacts their health and wellbeing. There are literally hundreds of books and thousands of articles available. One of my personal favorites is "The Change Before The Change", written by Laura E. Corio, MD.
Menopause is an important transitional time in a woman's life. You owe it to yourself and your family to be informed and to make sure you receive the personalized medical attention you need. You'll find that you will be able to move more easily through this medical condition than you ever believed possible.
Sharon MacMillan, M.D. is an OB/Gyn specialist and is a member of RiverBend Medical Group. For more information, please call 413.789.8000.