All women have to go through it. A third barely notices it. For a third, menopause means great pain. Merete Allertsen is in the last group. – There was a multiple crash in the head. I was sleepless, had no capacity to manage anything, everything was in a fog. Allertsen says she did not understand what was wrong with her. The researcher at Norce in Bergen feared it was something serious. – You get incredibly scared. I wondered if this was the beginning of the end of my professional career, she says. – Still taboo Silje Mæland sits in an office not far from Allertsen’s workplace. She is central to a newly started research project which will look precisely at menopause. And how society handles it. – We see that many women of this age are called in sick with unspecified complaints, and think it is often related to menopause, she says. Mæland is a professor at the Department of Global Health and Community Medicine at the University of Bergen. They are the ones behind the new project, with financial support from the Grieg Foundation. – There is little research into this in this country. Shockingly little considering how large a part of the population is affected by it. Professor Silje Mæland will conduct research on menopause. Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news Mæland and his colleagues have already started talking to women who experience problems. The conclusion so far is that one needs more knowledge about what menopause can mean. The researchers find that many people think this is a bit taboo. – Many people think of this as a separation, a proof that one is old and discarded. But this should be a period many women can really take off in working life. Treatment and facilitation Merete Allertsen’s professional life is not over. She is back in full time work. – I didn’t understand at first that it was the menopause that caused the problem. Fortunately, I got clear answers from a blood test at the GP. She receives medication and therapy. But the most important thing is a planned working day. – I cannot praise my boss enough. He has given me an opportunity to adjust the workload if I need it. The boss’s name is Jesper Blinkenberg. He says this was the first time he as an employer had had to make arrangements for an employee struggling with menopause. But since he has previously been a GP, it helped him to understand that the problems were real. – I think employers need more knowledge about this. It is important that one is open about the problem. Then you can engage in dialogue to find the best solution for all parties. What is menopause? Menopause symptoms can appear long before menstruation ends. It can happen as much as ten years before and the changes often occur in the 40s. Because you are approaching menopause, i.e. menopause, the ovaries make less of two hormones, estrogen and progesterone. As a first sign of this, menstruation can become more irregular in previous years. When the ovaries release so little of these hormones that menstrual bleeding stops completely, you have reached menopause. You cannot get pregnant after your period has completely stopped, but you should use contraception until you are absolutely sure. It is recommended to use contraception for 12 months after the last period to be on the safe side. Most women stop menstruating between the ages of 45 and 55, but it also happens that menopause starts earlier or later. Some get no or mild symptoms. Others have such severe problems that it affects their quality of life. Many have a good effect of hormone treatment against the ailments, but the treatment can cause serious side effects. Source: Helsenorge.no Need more knowledge Allertsen is still struggling with various ailments. But now she knows that she is not seriously ill. She has a full time job, but is allowed to take care that her form is not always top notch. Professor Mæland believes that the example of Allertsen is typical of how society can save large resources by gaining more knowledge about the menopause. – Many women feel that they are changing, and do not fully understand what is happening to them. We hope to give them a language to be able to find themselves again. – Knowledge enables women to make good decisions for themselves. Allertsen is today back in full-time work at the research institution Norce. Photo: Oskar Rennedal / news
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– I thought working life was over – news Vestland
