Jane Pangbourne, the power behind menopause schooling and consciousness group Menopausal Not Mad, shares how her expertise with perimenopause in her thirties paved the way in which for her life’s work, plus how employers can create a extra supportive tradition.
Suppose you realize concerning the menopause? Suppose once more. That’s the message from Jane Pangbourne, the menopause advocate behind Menopausal Not Mad, an organisation providing sources and recommendation for ladies worldwide, plus one-to-one consulting assist.
Menopausal Not Mad – a worldwide enterprise
Pangbourne’s menopause enterprise has come a good distance because it began in 2017. She has constructed a 40,000-member community, was recognized by Meta as a group chief in 2022 within the high 2%, and works with 1,300 girls on a one-to-one foundation.
The scope is worldwide, with girls from the UK, US, Spain and Australia seeking to Pangbourne for the solutions on all issues menopause: “The one factor I’m fairly happy with is that I work with so many ladies throughout nations,” she says. “There’s an island in the midst of nowhere that I’d by no means heard of. And I’ve one individual from there who follows me and retains connecting with me.”
Menopausal Not Mad gives girls free, evidence-based menopause and HRT schooling. For many who wish to pay for extra complete providers, there’s Pangbourne’s one-on-one consultations, which is an extended course of taking a look at total well being, together with intestine well being, as Pangbourne can also be a professional nutritionist. She then creates an motion plan, which they will take to their GP. “Most girls who flip up for his or her first appointment with me are crying as a result of no person has listened to them, heard them, understood them, they’ve gaslit them, all of the unfavourable issues,” she shares. “My objective on the finish of that dialog is to reassure them and have a plan in place for what to do and to verify they know that they’re not going mad.”
I used to be shedding the flexibility to focus, to assume straight, to even stand my floor in a gathering the place earlier than I’d been fairly feisty.
Pangbourne, now fifty-eight, displays on the origins of her menopause advocacy. Some twenty years in the past, at simply thirty-eight, she skilled signs that turned out to be perimenopause, often known as the transitional part earlier than the menopause begins.
Pangbourne’s perimenopause story
“I actually struggled,” she admits. On the time, Pangbourne was working within the coaching and improvement sector as a professional grownup tutor. “I used to be actually good at my job. I beloved my job. And I’d reached some extent the place I used to be seeking to be promoted even additional and discovering my manner up the ladder.” Then, signs that turned out to be perimenopause got here seemingly out of nowhere. “It wasn’t your conventional scorching flushes and evening sweats,” she says. “I used to be feeling very completely different emotionally, and I now know that was anxiousness. I used to be discovering the arrogance that I’ve constructed up over time was waning, and I used to be shedding the flexibility to focus, to assume straight, to even stand my floor in a gathering the place earlier than I’d been fairly feisty.”
As girls, significantly extraordinarily succesful girls within the office, we have a tendency to only go, that’s simply me. It’s advantageous. And we take up these signs, and it turns into a part of who we’re…
When Pangbourne sought assist, she acquired knock-backs. “Though the signs had been actually irritating and I didn’t know what was occurring, I had a little bit of an thought and simply being informed frequently by healthcare suppliers that I used to be too younger to be perimenopausal or that I couldn’t probably take hormone alternative remedy as a result of it was going to present me breast most cancers, all of the issues that many individuals may have heard, I made a decision wasn’t acceptable.”
This led her down a rabbit warren of analysis, which opened up a need to assist others, too. “It grew to become clear that this wasn’t only a me drawback, however a a lot larger drawback.” As a result of not all menopause-related signs are the identical, girls, she thinks, are inclined to dismiss them at work. “As girls, significantly extraordinarily succesful girls within the office, we have a tendency to only go, that’s simply me. It’s advantageous. And we take up these signs, and it turns into a part of who we’re, slightly than saying, cling on, I’d simply want a bit of recommendation right here as a result of that is completely different for me,” she explains.
She’s proper. The truth that a report in 2023 from the human sources firm CIPD discovered that round one in six girls thought-about leaving work as a consequence of poor assist, and 6% did, must be an even bigger concern for companies wanting to maintain their high expertise, together with our senior feminine leaders.
Now it’s time to clear up some menopause myths.
The primary? That’s it’s solely your common girl in her late-forties-to-fifties that’s affected. As we speak, Pangbourne sees a combined bag of shoppers for menopause assist spanning girls of their twenties, thirties, forties, fifties and past.
Menopause and ladies – an age-diverse bag
Actually, the menopause impacts girls of all working ages, she shares, as a result of some can grow to be perimenopausal via surgical procedure or remedy, or, like her, merely expertise perimenopause biologically sooner than others.
One other fantasy to clear up is that the menopause ends. “The one phrase that grinds my gears and sends me right into a frenzy is, it’s okay, I’m via it. No, you’re not via it, as a result of if you happen to had been via menopause, you wouldn’t be right here anymore.”
So, if the menopause, as soon as it arrives, stays with a lady for all times, plus the truth that an age-diverse vary of girls expertise signs, the query of what employers are going to do higher is a crucial one to ask.
Generally, simply feeling heard and listened to is 90% of the repair.
Pangbourne worries for ladies of their fifties and sixties at work, who are sometimes in senior roles. “If we’re ignoring what’s occurring in that age band, we’re shedding such an skilled and important asset we’ve constructed up as employers.”
She’s proper. The truth that a report in 2023 from the human sources firm CIPD discovered that round one in six girls thought-about leaving work as a consequence of poor assist, and 6% did, must be an even bigger concern for companies wanting to maintain their high expertise, together with our senior feminine leaders.
“We’re actually throwing the infant out with the bathwater,” she states. “We’re saying, okay, you’re accomplished now, we’ll begin once more, and then you definately’ve acquired to spend years coaching any individual as much as the extent of that individual, when it’s just some small changes or some details about HRT or different info that must be signposted to.”
Employers and menopause assist – what’s wanted
For Pangbourne, employers don’t must be menopause consultants; signposting is sufficient. “You don’t should know a lot, you simply have to present this little leaflet to say, okay, I believe you may want this, why don’t you go away and browse this?”
If I’m a perimenopausal girl at work, I don’t need a large badge to say it. I simply need to have the ability to go to my employer and say, look, I’m actually struggling right this moment. Do you assume I may work at home? Or if we’re happening the fan on the desk route, advantageous, can I’ve a fan on the desk? Or are you able to make another adjustment?”
There are different methods employers could be extra supportive, too, they usually don’t value a lot, if any cash, she provides.
From checking in with workers in the event that they appear to be struggling to making a tradition the place girls really feel secure to deliver up menopause-related points and ask for assist, there’s a lot employers can do: “If employers can keep away from that efficiency assumption, however really feel in a position to ask the query with out criticism. So if the tradition may be very constructive in the direction of this assist, then that one that wants the assist shouldn’t really feel anxious if the employer says, you realize, Jane, can we have now a bit chat over a cup of tea? Moderately than considering, oh my God, I’m going to lose my job, what’s occurring?
“They need to really feel supported and say, I’d like to have that dialog with you. Thanks. And that doesn’t imply you’re going to be asking for day off on a regular basis or plenty of completely different changes. Generally, simply feeling heard and listened to is 90% of the repair. I typically discover that with shoppers who come to me as soon as they’ve acquired via that preliminary trauma of talking about what they wish to discuss, they’ll say on the finish of that dialog, I really feel so significantly better simply because I really feel you’ve listened to me. And that’s what we would like from employers.”
It’s time to deliver up the Employment Rights Act 2025, and the way it makes menopause assist a authorized requirement in UK workplaces. Feels like excellent news, proper? In concept, sure, though Pangbourne is anxious that the ingredient of the invoice which labels menopause as a incapacity won’t assist girls.
“That’s completely unacceptable to me. It’s not a incapacity,” she states.
“It simply wants folks to have the precise info, after which they will get on with their lives. It doesn’t should imply that you just’re falling aside otherwise you’re lower than. If I’m a perimenopausal girl at work, I don’t need a large badge to say it. I simply need to have the ability to go to my employer and say, look, I’m actually struggling right this moment. Do you assume I may work at home? Or if we’re happening the fan on the desk route, advantageous, can I’ve a fan on the desk? Or are you able to make another adjustment?”
So, what’s subsequent for Pangbourne? For now, to proceed spreading consciousness, schooling and assist to as many ladies coping with menopause and perimenopause as potential. But this founder has no ego about realizing when it’s time to throw within the towel: “If somebody stated, all employers are absolutely on top of things with the menopause. You don’t have to do your job anymore. You may retire. I might go, sensible.”
