Menopause awareness

The menopause occurs when women stop having periods and are no longer able to get pregnant naturally.

The menopause is a natural part of ageing that usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age, as a woman's oestrogen levels decline. In the UK, the average age for a woman to reach the menopause is 51.

Signs and symptoms

There are many possible symptoms of menopause and individual experiences can vary widely. Most women have few or no menopausal symptoms, while some women may have many moderate or severe symptoms. Click here for more information.

Most of the time, these symptoms will lessen or disappear once the menopause is over. If any of these symptoms make you feel uncomfortable, talk to your doctor. There are many ways to reduce symptoms, both through medication and alternative therapies.

There are also some remedies that you can try for yourself to reduce your menopausal symptoms. Consider trying the following:

• Hot flushes may be reduced when you limit your intake of spicy food, caffeine and alcohol.
• Some women find that soya products (soya milk, tofu, etc.) and whole-grain foods bring relief.
• Exercise may decrease hot flushes and help keep your heart and bones strong.
• If you find that confined spaces increase your hot flushes, try to avoid them.

While menopause can be a difficult and uncomfortable stage of life for many women, there are steps you can take to try to alleviate your symptoms and discomfort.

Support available

Through First Class Support you can talk to someone confidentially for advice, guidance or support. Call 0800 6888 777, visit www.rmgfirstclasssupport.co.uk or download the ‘Lifeworks’ app. New users of the website or app will need to ‘sign up’ using a unique invitation code, which is RMG- and then your payroll number, for example: RMG-12345678.

Feeling First Class provides ideas on taking up a healthy lifestyle to help manage menopausal symptoms, visit www.feelingfirstclass.co.uk and download the app. Use the organisation code FFC1 to sign up.