Are menopausal symptoms a barrier to learning for healthcare students studying at higher education?: A contemporary issue

Problem

Little is known about the impact of menopausal symptoms on healthcare students' ability to study at higher education level.

Background

Attention on menopause is rapidly increasing in both the literature and media and is gaining political attention with particular focus on supporting those experiencing menopausal symptoms in the workplace. Policies are being developed to support individuals to remain in work for longer, reducing the number of people leaving the workplace due to challenging menopausal symptoms. However there is no evidence to suggest that support for higher education students experiencing menopausal symptoms is widespread. Whilst some higher education institutions and organisations are developing policies to support staff and, sometimes students, current literature does not reflect how students and their studies may be affected by menopausal symptoms. This is relevant to institutions where healthcare professions courses are delivered as this is thought to have contributed to the overall increase in the number of female students attending universities both in the UK and globally. A continued lack of understanding of menopausal symptoms' impact on students could not only be detrimental to the student experience, but it could also affect institutional reputations for being good places to study, resulting in increased attrition rates due to students withdrawing from courses because of the impact their symptoms have on their ability to continue studying.

Aim

In this Contemporary Issues article our aim is to raise awareness of how menopausal symptoms may affect a student's ability to study, and to reinforce the need for university policy makers and educators to recognise and support women at this turbulent time of their lives to continue to study.