Quarter of menopausal women get 'second wave of sisterhood' from the experience from dirty truth or dare in college party Watch Video

⏲ Duration: 5:13
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✓ Published: 12-Mar-2024

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A quarter of women experiencing menopause say the best thing about it is getting a ‘second wave of sisterhood’, according to research.<br/><br/>A study of 2,000 who are peri-menopausal, menopausal or who have had the menopause, found 14 per cent have made more friends by sharing their experiences of the life stage than they could ever have imagined.<br/><br/>While three in 10 admitted it felt like a new community of people formed around them – women who were experiencing the same things and who wanted to share their journey.<br/><br/>With 64 per cent feeling the recent rise of celebrities such as Linda Barker and Davina McCall talking openly about what has happened to them has had a positive impact.<br/><br/>And although menopause, with its 62 symptoms, brings with it a host of problems, 61 per cent admit they are more than willing to share what is happening to them with friends, family and work colleagues.<br/><br/>The research was carried out by hygiene and health company Essity, which continues its quest to keep the conversation about menopause open.<br/><br/>Spokeswoman Debbie Thomas said: “Menopause can clearly be a challenge for a lot of women and we certainly don’t want to suggest that it can be an easy time for those experiencing it.<br/><br/>“But as we can see from our research, there is comfort to be had from sharing stories with others in the same boat.<br/><br/>“And women are no longer as embarrassed to talk about what is happening to them as previous generations might have been – it feels like that mindset of hiding the truth is finally changing.”<br/><br/>The research found for those first experiencing menopause symptoms, feelings were overwhelmingly negative at first – with 36 per cent worried it made them old, 18 per cent upset and one in 10 in denial.<br/><br/>But 26 per cent of those polled, via OnePoll.com, were quickly surprised to discover how open some women are when discussing their experiences.<br/><br/>And it only took around three months before they became comfortable sharing their own stories.<br/><br/>By doing so, these women immediately felt supported by others (43 per cent), as well as a sense of solidarity (37 per cent).<br/><br/>Women are most likely to talk to their female friends about their experiences (71 per cent), but 40 per cent will chat to work colleagues, happily so in a workplace setting (38 per cent).<br/><br/>It emerged 41 per cent tended to stay on the sidelines of any conversation they were hearing about menopause soon after realising they also had symptoms – but 42 per cent are generally relieved when others open up as it makes them feel more normal.<br/><br/>As well as feeling reassured (29 per cent) and supported (27 per cent), 63 per cent admitted talking with like-minded people about what they are going through is as important to their mental health and well-being as any medication could be.<br/><br/>Sharon Clapp, 56, from Sidmouth, trained as a menopause practitioner after going through the menopause early due to a hysterectomy. <br/><br/>She said: “I trained as a menopause practitioner, I’m not a qualified GP - I don’t prescribe, or tell people that’s what they should be doing. <br/><br/>\