Tag Archives: research

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Covid and the Climacteric – Pandemic Responses of Menopause Campaign and Support Groups

The term climacteric is a medical term to describe the spectrum of perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause. Issues faced by those in the climacteric have been accentuated by the pandemic. This includes misdiagnosis and misinformation that can make things difficult for all entering this transition, but particularly problematic for those entering this transition early, or from a trans or non-binary perspective.[i] In 2019 a BJFM survey found 48% of GPs had no training in menopause.[ii] 33 of 41% of UK universities do not have mandatory menopause education on the curriculum.[iii]

British Menopause Society notes challenges during the pandemic have resulted in difficulties in obtaining HRT.[iv] There have been concerns over mental health as women in the climacteric are three times more likely to develop depression than pre-climacteric women.[v] A survey by CBII 71% of women over 40 say lockdown has increased symptoms of anxiety in climacteric women (although stats are not available for nonbinary it is anticipated that this would also be echoed, alongside other intersectional pressures including those of race, class and disability).[vi] Medical journals have noted an increase in suicide rates as become a significant public health issue during covid.[vii] There have been reports of increased cases of early menopause and suspected links between oestrogen levels and covid-19 where falling oestrogen levels increase the risk from the disease.[viii] Overlapping symptoms of long COVID and perimenopause have also been reported, alongside a lack of medical support on issues such as irregular periods.[ix]

However, in these dark times we have seen positive changes happen informed by the difficult and conflicted times we are in.[x] Despite the challenges of Covid we have seen significant political progress on climacteric conversations and law. A Private Member’s which makes provision about menopause support and services and to exempts HRT from NHS prescription charges in the UK is currently in its second reading in the House of Commons, following the #MakeMenopauseMatter campaigning in 2021.[xi] Organisations such as Menopause Café have seen their reach significantly increase during the pandemic.[xii] Existing menopause support services have tailored information to speak about the climacteric in lockdown.[xiii]

Magnetic Ideals are looking for groups to participate in some preliminary research. We are interested in looking into the support and campaigning that has been happening over the pandemic by organisations and groups that provide support, information and services for those who are perimenopausal and postmenopausal. We are hoping that this research will shed light and raise the profile of this work and help identify gaps moving forward.

This research initially takes the form of a short survey, and if anyone in your organisation or group is interested, we will also be conducting some further interviews. You can find the link to the survey here: https://forms.gle/TacYK4gET6vgm6LMA

Any personal data collected through the survey will only be seen by the Research Team.  We will never personally identify you in any reports or outputs produced as part of the research and your data will never be shared without your consent. If you have any queries about this project, please email: climacteric@magneticideals.org

Please share this post widely, thank you for your time, and for all the work you are doing.

Warmest wishes,

Dr Heather McKnight, PhD Legal Studies

Covid and the Climacteric Research Group

[i] ‘Transgender Health’, Rock My Menopause (blog), accessed 16 August 2021, https://rockmymenopause.com/get-informed/transgender-health/; Deborah Garlick, ‘How Do Hormonal Changes Affect the Trans and Non-Binary Community?’, Menopause in the Workplace | Henpicked (blog), 21 July 2020, https://menopauseintheworkplace.co.uk/articles/how-do-hormonal-changes-affect-the-trans-and-non-binary-community/; Kate Johnston-Ataata, Jacinthe Flore, and Renata Kokanović, ‘Women’s Experiences of Diagnosis and Treatment of Early Menopause and Premature Ovarian Insufficiency: A Qualitative Study’, Seminars in Reproductive Medicine 38, no. 4/5 (September 2020): 247–55, https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0040-1721463.

[ii] Jessica Bateman, ‘Menopause Health Has “few Specialists and a Lot of Myths” – Can Tech Change That?’, the Guardian, 2 May 2019, http://www.theguardian.com/careers/2019/may/02/menopause-health-has-few-specialists-and-a-lot-of-myths-can-tech-change-that.

[iii] ‘Menopause Support Survey Reveals Shocking Disparity in Menopause Training in Medical Schools. – Menopausesupport.Co.Uk’, accessed 16 August 2021, https://menopausesupport.co.uk/?p=14434.

[iv] Bms Administrator, ‘British Menopause Society Further Update on HRT Supply Shortages (20 July 2021)’, British Menopause Society (blog), 20 July 2021, https://thebms.org.uk/2021/07/british-menopause-society-further-update-on-hrt-supply-shortages-20-july-2021/.

[v] ‘Suicide in Middle Aged Women: Could COVID Make a Bad Problem Worse?’, NextTribe, 15 September 2020, https://nexttribe.com/suicide-in-middle-aged-women/.

[vi] ‘Second Lockdown Causes Anxiety for Menopausal Women’, The Independent, 23 November 2020, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/lockdown-menopause-women-anxiety-mental-health-b1760332.html.

[vii] Leo Sher, ‘The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Suicide Rates’, QJM: An International Journal of Medicine 113, no. 10 (1 October 2020): 707–12, https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcaa202; Jayashri Kulkarni, ‘Perimenopausal Depression – an under-Recognised Entity’, Australian Prescriber 41, no. 6 (December 2018): 183–85, https://doi.org/10.18773/austprescr.2018.060.

[viii] Ricardo Costeira et al., ‘Estrogen and COVID-19 Symptoms: Associations in Women from the COVID Symptom Study’, MedRxiv, 19 August 2020, 2020.07.30.20164921, https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.30.20164921.

[ix] ‘How Does Long COVID Affect Periods?’, 17 February 2021, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/long-covid-and-periods-the-unspoken-impact-on-female-well-being.

[x] McKnight, ‘Chaos and Hope’; Tom Moylan, Becoming Utopian: The Culture and Politics of Radical Transformation (London, UK ; New York, NY: Bloomsbury Academic, 2020).

[xi] ‘Menopause (Support and Services) Bill – Parliamentary Bills – UK Parliament’, accessed 16 August 2021, https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2897.

[xii] ‘Gather to Eat Cake, Drink and Discuss Menopause’, accessed 16 August 2021, https://www.menopausecafe.net/.

[xiii] ‘What to Do When You’re Not Feeling OK: Dr Louise Newson, Newson Health’, My Menopause Doctor, accessed 9 August 2021, https://www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause/when-youre-not-ok.

Demonstrating Impact Course: Effective and Innovative Research and Evidence Gathering for Annual Reporting, Funder/Sponsor Reports and Funding Applications

This course tackles the tricky area of demonstrating the impact of your work. It expands on the different ways you can collect and use data, and looks at ways that this can be done innovatively, engaging with service users. It will run over four weeks in the evening, giving you a chance not only to engage with the subject over a length of time but also to reflect on how this can impact in your working practice.

All of our courses are interactive, creative and focused on reflecting on your working practice, and developed in consultation with the community sector.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Be able to describe, evaluate, and communicate the impact of your work
  • Be able to assess the requirements for different types of reporting
  • Evaluate the challenges of different types of research techniques and where to access support on using them
  • Be able to identify different types of data and understand how you might choose to analyse it
  • Understand how you can engage service users, customers or your audience creatively in measuring your impact

Course Schedule:

  • Week 1 – Different types of reporting processes and where you will encounter them, a chance to share current experiences and issues you have faced
  • Week 2 – Research techniques – how to evidence different types of working, desk-based research, surveys, interviews and data protection
  • Week 3 – Dealing with data, an introduction to working with different types of data and the limitations and challenges different types of data bring
  • Week 4 – Beyond KPI’s: A Creative Enhancement Based Approach to Planning and Evaluation – looking at use of case studies, user-led representations, storytelling, video work and visual arts as integral and robust reporting mechanisms

This event is ideal for those working in the community, voluntary or social enterprise sectors looking to develop their skills in researching and reporting.

The course will run over four weeks on Wednesdays from 11th November – 2nd December from 5pm – 8.30pm at the Bridge Community Centre.

The course cost is £30 per person and includes and supporting electronic resources from the session. Book Your Place Online Here

The course is run in partnership with our funders UpStream Ideas