OPINION
By 2025, Forbes reports there will be more than a billion women experiencing menopause – 12% of the world population
Everyone’s talking about...
MENOPAUSE Once a taboo subject, menopause – and its effects on women’s physical and mental health – is suddenly a hot topic, and spas can offer a safe space for women to learn about this phase of life, reports Jane Kitchen
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onsidering it’s a natural process that affects half of the population at some point in their lives, it’s bemusing that it’s taken until 2022 for issues relating to menopause to be spoken about freely. Mood swings, hot flushes, sleep troubles, weight gain, loss of libido, skin and hair changes, anxiety and depression can all be symptoms of both menopause and perimenopause – the transition between the reproductive and non-reproductive years. In fact, it’s only recently that anyone has talked about perimenopause at all, and most women experiencing it have been given no education whatsoever about the process. A combination of social media, access to information on the internet, outspoken celebrities such as Stacy London in the US and Davina McCall in the UK, and the coming of (middle) age of Gen X have all come together to drive the emergence of menopause re-education. As menopause coach Sophie Benge – interviewed on page 68 for this article – explains, “the conversation has morphed rapidly from taboo to mainstream, as midlife women have found their collective voice.” A landmark study from the Fawcett Society of more than 4,000 women in the UK found that nearly 56 spabusiness.com issue 2 2022
half (44 per cent) of women said their ability to work had been affected by menopause symptoms, but almost as many (45 per cent) have avoided speaking to their doctor because of perceived stigma. Even if they do raise the issue with a medic, there’s a massive gap in many healthcare systems when it comes to addressing menopause. A study from AARP, (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons), a US-based group focusing on issues affecting those over 50 (www.aarp.org), found that while 84 per cent of women said symptoms interfered with their lives, only one in five received a referral to a menopause specialist. In the past, they may have been expected to just get on with it, but today, we know so much more about how to find relief, from diet and exercise to HRT, meditation and breathwork. Women today are hungry for knowledge – and help. They’re learning about menopause from friends, the internet, TV, their doctors, and increasingly, at spas. Since the typical age for menopause – 45 to 55 – is also a prime demographic of spa guests, operators have an opportunity to establish themselves as trusted, safe spaces to learn about this phase of life.
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/FIZKES
The media and outspoken female celebrities have helped dispel the taboo around menopause
