Nearly 9 out of 10 women say the menopause impacts their working lives
Talking about the menopause at work in some places is still seen as a taboo.
Su Bevan said she found it difficult to communicate with anyone in her place of work about her experiences with it.
"It was a very male dominated place to work and so the people around me were younger than me, mostly male... There were young women there too but there wasn't really anyone there to talk to about it but I just tried to crack on with it.
"It would've been nice to talk about it."
Jan Hollow works at a GP surgery. She has women colleagues but said it was her own lack of awareness which caused a loss of confidence.
She said: "You didn't speak to anyone because first of all you didn't realise it was menopause, first of all you just thought, 'I'm not coping with the situation'.
"This is where menopause awareness is so important because you don't consider it, you just consider I'm not doing very well; I’m not managing the situation very well in the workplace.”
The Wales TUC led a study which found nearly 9 out of 10 women said the menopause impacts their working lives.
The union also looked at issues in the workplace such as lack of ventilation, negative attitudes, excessive workloads, and stress.
Recommendations for employers from the Wales TUC:
To help with common symptoms such as daytime sweats, hot flushes, and palpitations - the organisation suggests easy access to cold drinking water and opening windows or installing air conditioning.
Avoiding nylon uniforms if a woman is experiencing skin irritation, dryness or itching.
For headaches, allow more breaks from working by a screen and making a quiet room available if possible.
Jayne Woodman said after her own struggle with menopausal symptoms, she decided to set up her own business.
Talking about her experiences, Jayne said: “I found myself in a classroom with some students, where from the back, a student challenged me about something and I actually got off the podium, marched up to the student and remonstrated with her. And then I thought, 'that really wasn’t the way to behave, that’s not me, I don’t behave like that. What’s going on?'
She added: “I think we need to do a huge amount more. We’re still in the foothills really of what’s happening. We have moved forward a bit. People will talk about it, not everybody. But more workplaces are running sessions, so it is positive.”
Helen Burton has been working as a Unison officer for more than 7 years, supporting members, of which around 70-80% are women.
She says Unison is helping members at work with support and information. The union is providing desk top fans, but also at home providing staff with cool mattress covers and memory foam pillows.
Helen said: “Women have got a vast knowledge. When you hit the menopause, the odds are you’ve been in the job 20-30 years. That knowledge would be lost if that woman left work because of the menopause.”
For support: