Angry, irritable and down … could it be the perimenopause?

Nursing Standard Podcast

Irritability teetering on unexpected rage, feeling physically and mentally exhausted and down - and like the only option is to flee work?

Is this the consequence of workplace pressures … or could it (or also) be the perimenopause?

The perimenopause - the phase when women are experiencing menopausal symptoms but are still having periods – is the subject of this episode of the podcast.

Our guest is Katharine Gale, consultant nurse in women’s health and menopause and director of Fluxstate, which provides care for women going through the menopause and training for workplaces.

Nine out of 10 nurses are women and more than a third are aged 41 to 55, which means a significant proportion of the workforce are likely to be going through the perimenopause right now.

Ms Gale talks about the impact that the perimenopause can have on nurses and their mental health, the lack of support many find, and how this is causing nurses to leave their jobs. ‘I hear from nurses who are quitting because they feel they have made a mistake or are not good at their job,’ she says.

She tells journalist and podcast host Erin Dean where nurses can get support and offers advice to nursing managers on supporting their staff through this phase.

‘They do not need to be an expert,’ says Ms Gale about managers. ‘Come from a place of empathy and compassion. Come from a place of trying to understand someone’s experience.’

https://rcni.com/keywords/menopause

For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast

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