NHS to offer “light duties” to menopausal women.

It is just a sensible move to try to retain valuable staff members who would otherwise have to take a lot of sick days or, more likely, just leave. The NHS is suffering from staff shortages and this is a pragmatic solution to a problem.

Iam I had a lady gp who didnt have a clue,I eventually got referred to hospital fortunately,I was 40 when I had the hysterectomy,after many horrendous times after starting my periods at 14,my work had always been customer facing my periods had always been heavy and hormone treatment just didnt help.
Kitty I have felt your embarrassment it unexpectedly started in white jeans in the middle of town.

Yes downtoearth, I was lucky the hormones helped. I’d had horrendous periods from 13-23 when my first baby arrived. By 45 I was in the mire again

I was discussing this on the phone with a friend today who is of the ‘just get on with it’ mentality. I pointed out that I never understood women taking medication for morning sickness because I just sailed through my pregnancies. And, apart from my periods getting closer and closer together (my doctor gave me some medication for it that had testosterone in it: I’ve never felt so energetic in my life but had I continued I might have grown a beard) I pretty much sailed through the menopause, too. But when my daughter had morning sickness throughout her pregnancy and a friends daughter had to keep a bucket in the car because she threw up constantly I realised that, just because something didn’t happen to me it doesn’t mean that some people aren’t suffering greatly. Even though I’ve always been a staunch feminist I remember thinking to myself many years ago that, if I ran a small business would I employ a woman with the prospect of having to pay her maternity leave at some point when I could employ a man. And I still don’t know the answer to that. I hardly had a day off work in my last job: I know I was sent home one day because I had a norovirus and didn’t realise that I shouldn’t be at work ( I didn't want to let anyone down) and quite often crawled into work feeling awful to cover for people that were always off sick.

Will that include all the menopausal nurses and other front-line staff - I doubt it!

It's smoke and mirrors - like having the right to request flexible working, or to request a choice of school. A right to request something doesn't mean you get it, you just have a right to ask!

Katie59

In practice allowances are made for any physical condition that affects your ability to work to full capacity, most don’t want to be seen as letting the team down and soldier on. Light duties or home working are a better option than having a day off.

This seems to me a very pragmatic and sensible post.

Ok, it happens to be menopausal women focused on in this thread: I think it’s just been inadequately highlighted in the past.

The general sensible approach to all seems best: a more accepting society all round.