This opinion piece by Associate Professor Paul J Maginn, director of The Univerity of Western Australia's Public Policy Institute, was originally published in The West Australian on 30 July 2024.

If you’re a regular reader of a newspaper, radio listener, television watcher, podcast apostle, or social media lurker there’s a fairly high chance that you will have heard or seen quite a bit of discussion about menopause in recent times.

Menopause came to the fore of the public consciousness, not only here in Australia but also globally, back in 2023 when a guest, Imogen Crump, on ABC News Breakfast halted an interview declaring live on air that she was experiencing a peri-menopausal hot flush.

Crump received widespread praise for her honesty and openness in speaking out loud about her menopausal journey — and, rightly so.

Image: Associate Professor Paul J Maginn.

For far too long menopause and peri-menopause have been shrouded in a veil of secrecy. So, those who have come forward and shared their stories about going through menopause and its impacts on their day-to-day lives are to be commended in my view.

Menopause is not just women’s “secret business”. For sure, women going through menopause are directly affected by its impacts — physiological and psychological.

But It’s a societal issue. It has implications on those around menopausal women — partners, children, friends and co-workers — in terms of intimacy, social and workplace relations and even economic productivity.

Growing up in Belfast as a teenager in the 1980s, I have clear memories of my mother going through what was euphemistically called “the change” as she entered her forties.

Being from a Catholic background, “the change” and wider sexual and reproductive health issues were discussed in hushed conversations.

If my mother’s female neighbours came over to our house and we were ushered out of the room this was often a signal that the focus of conversation would be on “the change”.

In these hushed conversations between my mother and her friends, three letters were often overheard: “HRT”. I soon learned that this stood for hormone replacement therapy but had no idea what this actually meant.

Nevertheless, I had a vague sense that something profound was going on with my mother.

Looking back from the vantage point of hindsight and current experiences with my own partner plus female friends and colleagues, I now have a better understanding of peri-menopause and menopause and its impacts on women.

I wish that I knew more and better understood what my mother was going through as she experienced menopause. And, I wish that my father knew more too.

As such, my partner and I have had a series of age-appropriate discussions with our teenage boys about menstruation, menopause and other issues. Our simple aim is to raise their awareness and understanding of such matters.

As the veil of secrecy surrounding menopause is slowly lifted there is a serious need to develop better structured information, education and training around menopause. Some ideas for a way forward include:

• Menopause as a key topic in relationships and sexuality education classes at high schools.

• Public awareness campaigns on menopause more sensitised to Australian multiculturalism and Indigenous communities.

• Better training for health professionals, especially medical students and GPs, in medical schools and continual professional development programs.
  
  A greater share of the female population experiencing menopause has potentially serious implications for women in terms of the gender pay gap, promotion at work, and accumulating superannuation.

There may be a need to take regular leave, resign from their jobs, or are even sacked because they are deemed to be unproductive or problematic workers.

Relatedly, female-dominated essential workforces such as healthcare, childcare, teaching (especially primary schools), and retailing will face mounting pressures in terms of productivity, quality of care and service delivery.

As Australia’s population grows, diversifies and ages we are going to see more and more women go through menopause over the next 20-30 years. Government policymakers need to prepare for this demographic transition. And, they need to start in earnest, now.

It is positive to note that a Senate Inquiry into perimenopause and menopause issues is currently underway. A series of public hearings are being held around the country, including Perth. I am proud to say the UWA Public Policy Institute played a role in getting the Senate to come here!

It will take some time before any formal government policy on menopause is adopted and implemented. In the meantime, we need to keep the conversations on menopause going.

In particular, we need to include more men in those conversations. It’s time for younger and older men to pause, listen and learn more about menopause.

The women in men’s lives — mothers, aunts and partners — will value you more for your understanding and support in helping get through one of the most significant transitions in the human life cycle.