An End to Enduring in Silence; Menopause and the Need for Peer Support
By Alyssa Blais, Founder Menopeer Canada
My Story.
The past seven years of my life have been such a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. In 2015, I lost my husband of two years to a heart attack at the age of 43. I turned to exercise as a coping strategy.
Eleven triathlons later, at the age of 47, my periods became irregular and eventually stopped. I blamed grief and triathlon training. I didn't know I was going through menopause. My menopause came on fast and furious, coupled with intense emotions, anxiety, lack of sleep and 40 hot flashes per day! I thought I was having a stroke and feared the worst.
When I reached out for help during this time, I was brushed aside by my friends, family, and the medical community. I ENDURED. Silently.
Fast forward to the present.
While working on my master's degree in adult education and researching menopause, I discovered a lot of work was being done to alleviate menopausal symptoms from a healthcare perspective. However, I noticed that our voices were not being heard, and women wanted more support during menopause. So, I set out to build a program to support and educate people about their menopause experience.
I have been working in the mental health space for some time and was familiar with the peer support model. I connected with Mental Health Innovations (MHI), a leader in peer support training and fell in love with their peer support model. After my first meeting with Deborah Watring-Ellis, MHI's Product Manager and Instructional Design Lead, we decided right then and there to bridge the lived experience of menopause with peer support and created the Menopeer Support Specialist Program.
Dealing with the stigma.
When I talk to others about menopause, many people do not realize that the hormonal changes that occur in the body and the brain can impact their quality of life. Yes, it is true, natural menopause is a basic bodily function for a biological female, and over a billion people will soon experience menopause. Yet, historically we have seen menopause used as a punchline in jokes and stigmatized menopause, so many individuals travel the journey alone.
This stigma has resulted in a knowledge gap among people about menopause, which has the potential to impact their well-being significantly. If people do not feel comfortable discussing their experiences with friends, family, and healthcare professionals, it can be challenging to understand what is happening in their bodies and minds.
From a purely heterosexual, normative socio-biology perspective, the negative stigma associated with menopause is partly a story about how well biological females can reproduce, meaning if you cannot have children, you are of no value to society. It is a dated, limited, and disempowering view of people.
I would also like to point out that more complex issues arise for queer, gender nonbinary people and young people going through menopause. Surgery-induced menopause can be both mentally and physically taxing. Furthermore, the effects can be highly distressing when menopause interferes with your gender identity.
Talking about it to gain support and be understood by other people with similar experiences can make a significant difference. Only by sharing our experiences can we learn how to support ourselves and one another. Before we can successfully affect a cultural shift, menopause must be normalized.
So, what do we know?
We know that there is a stigma with menopause.
We understand that some markers of menopause can decrease well-being and mental health.
We know that everyone's experience of menopause is different and depends on our social-cultural context.
We know that many people suffer through the experience without support.
We know that research on menopause shows that people want more education and support during this transitionary phase.
I founded Menopeer Canada to provide peer support to improve the menopausal journey, and address the aforementioned circumstances. Peer support has been shown in studies to improve people's well-being. Menopeer Support Specialists (Menopeers) use their lived experience of menopause and peer support skills to provide hope and empowerment.
Connecting with another person post-menopause can be a lifeline for someone struggling with their situation. The knowledge and hope that comes from being in their shoes can help them navigate a complicated maze of health options and other forms of care. For this reason, a peer support program for individuals in menopause is crucial. Having someone travel alongside me as I transitioned into post-menopause would have been a blessing.
We’re here to help.
MHI offers full turnkey service in building peer support programs for workplaces and healthcare organizations as well as virtual peer support skills training to the public in addition to first responder and workplace-specific training.
Learn more here and sign up for our Support Your People Newsletter for upcoming training updates.