South Yorkshire NHS to hold first Sheffield menopause conference

With rising life expectancy, women are now living more than a third of their lives after the menopause

The NHS in South Yorkshire is holding its first menopause conference in a bid to improve support for those going through its symptoms at work.

The event, being held at Crowne Plaza Royal Victoria Sheffield on Thursday, aims to increase employer awareness.

Nearly half of the 72,000 people working in the NHS and social care in the county are women of the age group typically affected, the NHS said.

The event will focus on the importance of developing menopause policy.

• What is the menopause and what are the signs?

Women going through the menopause could be offered paid time off and uniform changes under Labour plans announced on Tuesday to support women in the workplace.

The peri-menopause is when signs of declining oestrogen may first become noticeable to women. It starts, on average, at 46.

The brain, menstrual cycle, skin, muscles and emotions are all affected by hormone fluctuations and around 75% of women will report signs before their periods stop.

Christine Joy, chief people officer at NHS South Yorkshire, said: "Our workforce demographic means that supporting people with menopausal symptoms is not a nice to do, it is absolutely essential.

"As a leading employer in South Yorkshire, we want to ensure that our colleagues, managers, and leaders have awareness of the impact of menopausal symptoms so that we can provide the necessary support in the workplace."