Menopause is taking off in a big way. It does not seem to matter the reason why this has happened; it is now the talk of the town, city and country. Too long people have been skipping over this subject and treating it as if it does not exist (taboo) or sweeping it under the carpet when mentioned. It is great that now it's being spoken about. Especially, the media they have not wasted any time in running with various narratives, especially capturing the stories of famous people’s menopause journey.
This is great - Menopause is being recognised and embraced. However, what about those individuals with learning disability (LD)? It seems they have been left out. Individuals with LD have a reduced intellectual ability and may experience some difficulty with their everyday tasks. These individuals with LD take longer to learn and develop new skills. However, people with LD are living longer and happy lives despite their condition. Many are reaching the age of menopause and will need to know how to cope with it when they encounter it.
In 2017, the UK government published research to identify and support individuals going through the menopause. Their aim was to address the lack of understanding and support in the workplace whether via their colleagues, team leaders, managers and/or the physical workplace environment. The government recognised that unsupported individuals with menopause were leaving the workplace, retiring earlier, or continuing to struggle with challenges in their working role. There is estimated to be over 3.5 million women over 50 years old in the workplace, such a large workforce that the government does not want to lose!
Nevertheless, menopause for the learning disability is an area that has been neglected in research and very little is written. There seems to be no interest to support individuals in areas that obviously have a sensitive need.
Most women, individuals born female and those who identify as women will experience menopause sometime in their life. Whether it’s the natural process around the age of 51 years or much earlier due to conditions, surgery or an unknown factor that induces the menopause, there is a minimum of 34 menopause symptoms that range from hot flashes, night sweats, irregular period, sleep issues, memory issues to name a few.
Women with LD experience the same symptoms as the above, the hot flashes and night sweats, etc., but at a much earlier age of 46 years compared to the natural age of people at around 51 years. It is this reason that additional support is required for people with LD to have insight and understanding to what is happening to them. This would allow them to be aware and be able to effectively communicate their concerns and how the changes are impacting them, both physically and psychologically. It has been reported that those with a LD would be less able to discuss or share these changes with anyone, and even more so, be unable to comprehend the connection between the symptoms and how they are feeling compared to the general population.
It is therefore important to provide assistance and give additional support with menopause for people with LD, so they are aware and able to comprehend new information in advance so that they can communicate with other people/carers regarding their symptoms and/or concerns at their own pace.
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