- Conference
- 2026 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 16 October 2025
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference, it is known that the hormones that control your menstrual cycle can affect the neurotransmitter functions responsible for serotonin levels, a brain chemical that promotes feelings of well-being. When going through the peri or full menopause your oestrogen and progesterone levels drop, serotonin levels can also be affected which can contribute to depression, anxiety and irritability.
The physical symptoms can also lead to stress, fatigue and this, in turn, can intensify symptoms. The risk of depression is significantly increased during perimenopause and menopause, especially for those who have gone through significant depression in the past. Perimenopause and menopause are often described as going through puberty in reverse, easy for some, difficult for others. We often talk about and indeed have fully supported motions in relation to psychological support for staff and this is fantastic. However, we need to expand this support and the information to include documentation that highlights the heightened impact on women going through this unavoidable change in their lives.
The perimenopause can last up to 10 years, the menopause and the post-menopausal years after that which is a significant amount of time to experience and struggle with heightened mental health issues.
We therefore call on the national women’s committee to:
1)Work with LAOS to develop best practice training packages for workplace representatives to better understand and support members going through this journey.
2. Seek to develop a tool kit to assist branches in campaigning for policies that have additional help for members in the workplace, which includes best practice training for supervisors and managers to better understand and support those women going through this journey.
