Menopause in the nursing workplace

Menopause symptoms impact on women’s lives around the world. It’s estimated by 2030 there will be 1.2 billion women, experiencing menopause or post-menopausal symptoms.  Women currently make up 90% of the global nursing and midwifery workforce, and they will experience menopause during their careers.

In this talk we will discuss a project to understand the impact of menopause on nursing staff. The aim of this study was to explore menopause and discuss the suitability of digital health interventions as strategies to facilitate coping and alleviate discomfort from a global perspective, using focus groups to explore nurses’ experiences of menopause.

Overall range of lived experiences recognised the discomfort in menopause both physically and mentally. Coping strategies, management of symptoms, as well as the lack of preparation for menopause, and lack of recognition at work was discussed. The nurses shared their experiences confidently and proposed alternative therapies, memory aids, digital apps, and peer support as mechanisms to manage menopausal symptom at work and home.