Menopause focus

Hello. I’m Caroline. I’m 56, I’m post-menopausal, and for at least the past decade, I’ve been in a dysfunctional relationship with my own mind and body. 

That’s the closest I can get in a mere few words to describing what the perimenopausal/menopausal/post-menopausal years have so often felt like to me. And the fact that I’ve couched this statement as a confession says something, I think, about how we midlife women so often keep a tight lid on what is happening to us, for fear of being ridiculed (hot flushes are a joke, right?), of being marginalised, or even demonised as past our sell-by dates, both bodily and intellectually.

In many ways I’ve been fortunate during my menopause years. I’m white, middle-class and in good physical and mental health. As a freelance, self-employed writer and editor I work from my own airy home office, thus dictating my own hours and working conditions. I have a supportive partner, good colleagues and wonderful friends. My physical symptoms have been relatively mild, though the emotional turmoil and brain fog less so. I thank my lucky stars for yoga, for my varied and engaging working life, and for my £12 rechargeable desktop fan from John Lewis.

I’m so aware, however, that many women are heading towards menopause without such support systems. And couple the myriad trials of menopause itself with the other life challenges which so often coincide with them—be it caring for elderly parents, financial worries, or workplace pressures—and you have a burning subject we should all, whatever our gender, be super well-informed about.

As an industry I think it’s high time we all visited that place, had a proper tour of all its contours, and took home the T-shirt. And I feel sure that in doing so, we can help restore the public image of menopause

And yet, as our guest columnists, Mariella Frostrup and Alice Smellie, point out in Cracking the Menopause, this thing that happens to half of humanity remains underresearched and underfunded, and has a truly terrible public image. “If menopause were a place you could elect to visit,” they write, “it wouldn’t be popular”.

As an industry I think it’s high time we all visited that place, had a proper tour of all its contours, and took home the T-shirt. And I feel sure that in doing so, we can help restore the public image of menopause. For many women interviewed for Cracking the Menopause also report the positive aspects of midlife: the increased confidence and intelligence that comes with age; the fresh sense of direction; the boldness; and the intense focus and creativity that comes with experience. All of this we can draw on as an industry if we support and care for such women when we need it.

So let’s get it all out on the table. Today we announce a special menopause focus for The Bookseller issue of 7th October. We also launch a survey into the experiences of menopause in the books industry, compiled by Dr Nighat Arif, a women’s health specialist whose début book will be published by Octopus next year.

I would urge anyone with any experience of perimenopause, menopause or post-menopause to complete the survey at surveymonkey.co.uk/r/_menopause by 23rd September. There are 30 questions, which should take no more than 15 minutes to answer. Your responses will be invaluable in helping us to build a better picture of experiences and attitudes within our industry.

And if you’d like to contribute to our menopause focus issue, I’d be happy to hear from you. Please email me at caroline.sanderson@thebookseller.com.