Menopause is an increasingly hot topic for the general population, but there are some specifics relating to equine veterinary work which may increase its significance within our profession. Liz Barton, co-founder of WellVet and VetMums and BEVA Council member Gemma Dransfield discuss menopause and its specific impacts for working equine vets.
"The need to properly discuss perimenopause and menopause came about off the back of a WellVet event hosted during COVID" said Liz. "Attendees found the event refreshing and showed a want for more information on the impact of menopause and the need to raise awareness."
"I'm worried about how I would cope during that stage of my life"
"We are a heavily feminised profession and whilst I've only just started looking into the topic, I'm concerned by the lack of information available and am worried about how I would cope during that stage of my life. If I'm feeling that, I'm sure there will plenty of other people in the profession in the same boat" said Gemma.
Menopause is a real hot-topic, with Liz referring to a segment on The Today Programme on Radio 4 quoting "the pervasive stigma associated with gynaecological and urogynaecological health, a lack of education and medical mysongy has contributed to poor awareness of these conditions. This is mirrored in the lack of research, treatment options, specialists and the de-prioritisation of gynaecological care". Whilst this programme focused on menstrual health, Liz identifies many similarities with menopause. "The decade of around the ages of 45-55, we can experience a multitude of psychological and physical symptoms including the typical symptoms like hot flushes and brain fog right through to increased cardiovascular risks, sleep deprivation, anxiety, joint pain and urinary tract infections" said Liz.
"It really impacts all areas of our health, both mentally and physically"
Gemma was deeply saddened listening to Liz reel off the symptoms and questioned how this was possible in this day and age. "It's hard to believe that this is still going on and there isn't the help out there that's so desperately needed." Gemma has only recently begun her research into menopause but has found Davina McCall's "Menopausing" particularly interesting. "The book includes a lot of first-person experiences demonstrating the mental health strain. So many of these women didn't have the classic signs, they just didn't feel themselves and ended up being prescribed antidepressants with no mention of perimenopause potentially being the cause. I can only imagine how hard it would be to have a day full of visits, to be battling the traffic, with brain fog, feeling tired and not feeling yourself."
Gemma referred to Liz's previous comment regarding managing perimenopausal and menopausal clients saying "I'd never even considered that and how we need to be more mindful of how our clients might be feeling."
Liz has previously conducted some research into how menopause affects members of the veterinary community which was completed at the same time as a report published by the British Medical Association on the impact on doctors. "There is unbelievably spooky correlation between our comparatively small study and what was found across the medical professions" said Liz. "Some of the statistics from my veterinary report included 83% of respondents said the menopause affected their health, nearly 50% said the impact on their mental health had been moderate to severe. Three-quarters were concerned about the impact on their health, life and work, a third said the menopause had a moderate to severe impact on their working life, and despite our respondents being those who were in the thick of it, ove 90% said they wanted to know more about the menopause and its impacts."
Liz recalls the story of a farm vet who was forced to leave practice due to joint problems, then experienced recurrent urinary problems before night sweats started. It was only when they developed severe anxiety and insomnia that they sought help. "There are multiple reasons why this is, number one we don't necessarily think these symptoms are blunt tool to treat one symptom. It demonstrates the need for a real boost in awareness for us as individuals about the vast number of symptoms that can be related so we can better track them and present a holistic picture of our health to knowledgable medical professionals."
Equine vets are particularly likely to confuse symptoms with general wear and tear due to the nature of the job, particularly when experiencing joint pain and fatigue. Furthermore, ambulatory vets work alone which can cause heightened anxiety of not being able to perform at their best and not having a team to support you. Gemma stressed the importance of feeling able to ask for help and explain what you're going through. "For pregnant women the accepted narrative now is that you don't need to tough it out, you don't need to struggle, you don't need to put yourself at risk, but I'm not convinced that the same thing would be supported in this unseen condition of menopause. We need to start having these conversations in the workplace."
Liz shared her advice for equine veterinary practices to develop their empathy and understanding for perimenopausal and menopausal team members.
"The earlier we can get treatment the better"
"Like we say about our patients, the earlier we can get treatment the better - look after yourself and get help if you need it. Like with any hidden medical condition, adjustment will be needed. The difficulty of perimenopause and menopause is that everyone will experience different symptoms. The most important thing we can do is be honest about how we're being affected and for management it's being open to how adjustments can be made to support their team. This will also mean that vets will feel able to stay in the workplace which is hugely beneficial for practices."
"I think the best piece of advice I can offer is to make sure you're informed" said Gemma. "There is so much more to menopause that being middle-aged and getting hot flushes. I didn't realise just how many symptoms there were! There are so many options available to women going through this stage of their life but you have to be able to recognise the symptoms."
The WellVet website offers free menopause resources to reduce the impact of symptoms for yourself and your fellow team members. The site explores what menopause is, the medical therapies available, holistic adjustments, how workplaces can help, men and the menopause and how to have conversations with those around you. Liz describes the site as "a self-serve that you can dip in and out of when you need it".
WellVet resources
Gemma hopes to host available information on the BEVA website to provide members with a one-stop shop to easily find relevant resources. She also hopes to open the floor to discussion with members through an online forum and perhaps touch on the topic at BEVA Congress. Keep your eyes peeled for further news on this coming soon!
You can listen to Liz and Gemma discussing menopause in full in our recent BEVApod episode.
Listen to the BEVApod episode