AHEAD OF World Menopause Day (October 18) the Voice caught up with Dr Tonye Wokoma, a specialist at My Menopause Centre, a clinic made up of dedicated menopause doctors, to talk about why knowledge is power when it comes to tackling this taboo subject.

Why menopause matters

The menopause is a natural and normal part of every woman’s life. Around 15.5 million women in the UK today are at some stage of the menopause transition (perimenopause, menopause, or postmenopause) – that’s almost half of the UK’s female population.

A woman’s experience of menopause – from the range of symptoms to their intensity and duration is individual to her. Women’s cultural background and personal attitudes towards menopause can also influence how she approaches this stage of life and has an impact on how their partners approach the changes too.

Whilst there is limited data available on the impact of ethnicity on a woman’s experience of the menopause, from my years of experience as a menopause specialist, Black women, are less likely to seek help and treatment for their menopause symptoms.

There are several reasons for this:  low awareness of the help and support available to them as they go through the menopause transition, reluctance to take medication – including HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) and cultural opinions about the menopause. 

Low awareness of the help available and benefits of treatment 

Women may not be aware that the symptoms they are experiencing are due to the menopause, for example joint pains. When they are, they do not seek help, often because they do not know what help is available and where to go for it. Treatment measures including the use of HRT is not widely used in this population, again due to a lack of confidence about the perceived benefits and as well as the concern about serious side effects and risks that are not placed into context.

Cultural opinions and taboos about the menopause

In my experience, Black women often keep private their needs around health and personal issues in general.  To compound this the menopause may be seen as a taboo topic which makes it even more unlikely that women will want to approach the topic with their GP.

Symptoms such as tiredness, changes in mood, depression or anxiety are seen as too sensitive for women to raise with their partner, family or friends. Other symptoms, such as loss of sex drive and vaginal dryness (which are easy to treat) are considered so embarrassing – that they are unlikely to be ever mentioned to anyone – not even to one’s doctor.

Another reason for not discussing these symptoms is that in many families, culturally the woman is seen as a matriarchal figure – the one who leads the family and is the pillar of strength for family and friends to always rely on and stems from outdated perceptions of the role of black women in society.  For many women speaking up about symptoms and asking for support can carry unhelpful stigmas of weakness and vulnerability.

The unfortunate consequences of this is that Black women are not getting the support they need – whether from the medical profession or their friends, family and workplaces.

They seldom pass on their personal lived experience of the menopause. It is not discussed with their daughters or younger generations of women. This in turn perpetuates the cycle of women entering the menopause transition unprepared as well as underestimating of the impact of their symptoms which can have negative consequences on their family life, work life and within their community and friends.

Tackling taboos and taking control of menopause symptoms

It’s important to recognise that it doesn’t need to be this way. Research has shown that – unsurprisingly – the more prepared a woman is for the menopause, the better her experience of it will be.

That’s why it’s so important that we raise awareness of the menopause and its symptoms, normalise the conversation about it, and support women in getting the treatment and support they need and deserve.

Women today feel proud of everything that their bodies have achieved, it’s important they feel comfortable finding a place where they can speak about any concerns or changes that are troubling them.

Often when I am speaking with faith groups and within the Black community, I notice that women are happy to talk about the menopause within this environment. Positive and nurturing spaces where open conversations happen can help to create a supportive place where it’s okay to share and talk about the changes that every woman will go through. 

Some of the steps women can take to feel empowered as they approach menopause include talking to their GP about their expectations and symptoms and seeking out community education from reliable sources like My Menopause Centre where they can read about menopause and the treatment options available. But it’s not just on women to do the work, developing a culture of empathy, understanding and support around the menopause works both ways in friendships families and within organisational culture. It’s an incredibly important part of a woman’s life and by fostering two-way, inclusive, confident communication approaches the stigma surrounding menopause will continue to change. Feeling accepted and listened to by a partner, family, friends or a colleague can create powerful change.

You can reach Dr Wokoma at [email protected]

Black British Voices