Ms Sandy Davies1
1Happypause™, Wonga Beach, Australia
Objective
This presenter had a negative experience with her pharmacist and pharmacy assistant that involved menopause stigma and shaming and as a result delved further into regional peri/post menopausal women’s perceptions of menopause.
Survey
The survey was conducted in Mossman, a small sugar cane community located in the Douglas Shire in Far North Queensland AUSTRALIA in 2021. The structure was informal. Age range 44 to 86. The test group was small but representative of the diversity of the community both economically and culturally. The participants were asked to describe menopause in one word. Perimenopausal participants were asked if they intended to discuss menopause with their GP. Postmenopausal women were asked if they had.
Results
Not a single person in the survey provided a positive term for menopause or their menopausal experience. Both peri and post menopausal women saw no benefit in visiting a GP for menopausal symptoms, except for four cancer survivors and two Eastern Kuku Yalanji women.
Conclusion
There is still much work to be done to break down the stigma of menopause and humanise its treatment in regional remote areas.
Biography:
Born on the Great Plains of Kansas, Sandy Davies MEd (UNSW) never imagined becoming a siren of the seas on the edge of The Great Barrier Reef. Now in her fifties, Sandy helps others navigate peri and post menopause. After an allergic reaction to a vulvovaginal dryness treatment, Sandy went back to her chemistry passion and formulated a vulval vaginal moisturiser: HappyPause™. Menopause is not the end, it is a new beginning and a time to thrive. Sandy is a passionate advocate for building women’s confidence to speak to their trusted practitioners about menopause to improve their experience.