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[LBooth]

Hi ladies, I'm a 57 year old mum of 2 girls who was mid menopause when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in summer 21. Now on maintenance treatment and doing well but still experiencing menopause symptoms.

I've been the inspiration for my daughters masters final project. She's a student at the Royal College of Art, London. She is currently designing a new service that aims to alleviate some of the struggles faced during menopause. The main feedback she's had is the lack of education available and women wishing they'd known about the symptoms sooner because they creep up gradually. I would like to hope my daughters would be better prepared for the menopause in the future than I was 😕 With that in mind, I was wondering, do people feel it would be beneficial if women were made more aware, say, in their 30s as a lot of ladies probably wouldn't think about menopause at this stage of their lives. If so any suggestions on how or where you feel the knowledge would be best provided to grab people's attention if they're not actually looking for it.
It can be as radical as you wish, just want to gauge where interventions are needed!! Thank you 😊

[Flossieteacake]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I am so sorry to hear of your diagnosis.

I realised I was peri when I was 38. It would have helped me to know what peri was and especially to be educated about vaginal atrophy.

It is a tricky one thinking about how I would have found the information had I not been looking. I am sorry I have no idea. I blame my brain fog.

[LBooth]

Thankyou for replying 😊 I think this is the problem, it's not on a younger woman's agenda to start researching menopause but the knowledge of it could definitely prepare people and possibly prevent symptoms becoming too debilitating 😕

[Flossieteacake]

Thankyou for replying 😊 I think this is the problem, it's not on a younger woman's agenda to start researching menopause but the knowledge of it could definitely prepare people and possibly prevent symptoms becoming too debilitating 😕

You are so right. I thought meno was a few hot flushes and mood swings as that is what they show on TV.

[CLKD]

HI Welcome aboard!

When I was 11 and told about periods, menopause [The Change] was miles in the distance.  It was something 'that would happen ' and not discussed.  By the time Mum went through it I had married and left home 

I think that mayB posters in Colleges, GP Surgeries, Vet Waiting Rooms, Leisure Centres, Libraries may be starting points?  Advertising MM Forum as well as others that have popped up since Davina's films.  MIND Charity. 

Girls need to know not to be fobbed off when a medical practitioner suggests that they 'are too young to consider menopause' because no one is ever too young!  Some never menstruate, a few have periods then stop - some women go into peri-menopause much earlier than 'expected'.  Ill educated practitioners haven't yet realised that various symptoms may = peri!!

Did your diagnosis involve surgical intervention.  Ovacome Charity is how I landed at MM  because a friend died of the disease: the Silent Killer.

[LBooth]

Thankyou for replying and for your suggestions 😊👍 There is definitely a gap in the knowledge and that needs addressing 😕 The topic still needs destigmatising too in many environments. You're absolutely right about young women being fobbed off, it's just not acceptable.

Yes I did have surgery, I was supposed to have chemo first but was then admitted quickly for surgery instead which I'm grateful for. I had chemo and other drugs following the op now I'm on tablets and just thankful for every day.

[Minusminnie]

Hi LBooth

How lovely that your daughter is using her art skills in this way.
My one thought for now is maybe some discreet design on sanitary towel boxes/packets to mention a route to finding out more about menopause if you wish to ?  which may start an early discussion between a teenager and a parent ? etc
Take care.
 

[Ayesha]

You can put up all the notices of what could happen to you in the future but when you are young and busy working, raising children, I don’t think we take much notice of what could lay ahead for us.
Not until the time comes and we are in a situation ourselves do we then look for help, and wonder how the heck I never heard of whatever the health issue is.
Getting to the age of over 70 and learning about Vaginal Atrophy for the first time, and I'm the one who likes to think I am well informed regarding health issues, this fact left me very angry!
Would I have taken notice when younger, no probably not because it’s not going to happen to me!  Doh!

Education is everything and perhaps a new generation will want to be more informed and will take notice if it's written down in prominent places.
You are then armed with all the information and your stumbling block will be your GP, how informed are they when it comes to the menopause, very little if you study the posts on this forum which I think would be a great learning curve for your daughters.



 

[sheila99]

I'm so sorry about your diagnosis and glad you're currently doing well, long may it continue.
I would like to see it as part of sex education at school,it's the only place where you have a captive audience including boys. I'm another who likes to think I'm well informed but it took celebs talking on TV to join the dots, a connection my gp didn't make. You don't need to know everything, just an awareness of how many symptoms there are so when the time comes you can investigate further. Any messaging anywhere would be an improvement. Perhaps something similar to 'smoking causes cancer' 'xxx symptom can be caused by menopause' plus a message somewhere that symptoms can start long before periods stop and perhaps one (aimed at doctors?) that the absence of hot flushes doesn't mean you aren't menopausal. Men are affected too, they all have colleagues, wives, friends etc who will go through it so if it can be on something not specifically feminine it would be better imo.
  My daughter knows all about it too, she bore the brunt of my bad temper 

[LBooth]

Thankyou so much to you all for your suggestions, I'm sure they'll give her things to think about.
They're all appreciated 😀

[CLKD]

Let us know what her suggestions might be, approaching this at a younger age as it were.

[LBooth]

I will do, she's building up her research at the moment so I will let you all know what direction she takes and maybe ask for more feedback. Thankyou all x

[CLKD]

Good Luck in your continued recovery 

[Bindi]

You can put up all the notices of what could happen to you in the future but when you are young and busy working, raising children, I don’t think we take much notice of what could lay ahead for us.
Not until the time comes and we are in a situation ourselves do we then look for help, and wonder how the heck I never heard of whatever the health issue is.
Getting to the age of over 70 and learning about Vaginal Atrophy for the first time, and I'm the one who likes to think I am well informed regarding health issues, this fact left me very angry!
Would I have taken notice when younger, no probably not because it’s not going to happen to me!  Doh!

Education is everything and perhaps a new generation will want to be more informed and will take notice if it's written down in prominent places.
You are then armed with all the information and your stumbling block will be your GP, how informed are they when it comes to the menopause, very little if you study the posts on this forum which I think would be a great learning curve for your daughters.



 Totally agree we are all differnt..i have A daughter and want her to understand what i didn't..as she was my late baby..i def want be here when she needs me for this stuff..my mum knew jack shit about meno i told her...and for my daughter theres  only me left and her dad my hubby knows jack shit...he trys but gets annoyed ..i dont want that for her..us women need to let our kids know ..not hide it away..meno can be and is sometimes dibilitating..it sucks the life out of you ..that you have had for 40 50, yrs 😔

[LBooth]

Exactly, we need to communicate and educate them as much as we can