"We know that clinical guidance is the thread that pulls these three strands together."
- Christine Husbands - RedArc
Nurse-led support service RedArc has called on organisations to build their menopause support around three key principles: validation, education and choice.
This comes during Menopause Awareness Month and ahead of World Menopause Day on 18th October.
Regarding validation as the first step, Christine Husbands, commercial consultant at RedArc, said: "For many women, having their symptoms acknowledged and taken seriously is an important part of the menopause journey.
"Every woman’s experience is different, and symptoms can affect both their personal and working lives in very different ways. Recognising and validating those individual experiences should therefore be the starting point for good menopause support."
In addition, RedArc says that technology has an important role to play in menopause support, particularly for symptom tracking, practical tools and accessing information quickly and conveniently.
However, it adds that technology should complement, rather than replace, support from a clinical professional, due to the value of being able to talk through individual experiences with someone who can offer clinical guidance and put individual symptoms and experiences into context.
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"Technology can inform and guide, but it cannot provide the personalised, clinical guidance and reassurance that many women need and want," Christine explained.
RedArc says that it is important for women to understand the full range of support and treatment options available, from HRT to practical lifestyle advice, and emotional support to specialist therapies and clinical guidance.
However, it also stresses that education should not simply mean providing more information, and instead recommends helping women identify reliable, evidence-based sources, understand their symptoms and determine what support is most appropriate for their own circumstances. It also suggests extending education to colleagues.
"If menopause support is built around the three principles of validation, education and choice, women will be empowered to navigate this stage of life with confidence and make decisions that are right for them," Christine continued.
"We know that clinical guidance is the thread that pulls these three strands together. It can help women make sense of their symptoms, understand the information and options available to them, and decide what is most appropriate for their individual circumstances."
