Scottish farmers have spoken out about how going through the menopause can impact farm life for both women and men, as part of a new wellbeing initiative by a farm charity.

The new campaign from well-being charity Farmstrong Scotland will coincide with Menopause Awareness Month and World Menopause Day on 18 October.

The initiative will feature podcasts, stories, a live event, blogs and expert advice specifically tailored to the Scottish agricultural community, with female farmers and crofters from across Scotland sharing their personal experiences.

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Scottish farmer Christine Cameron will share her experience of perimenopause through her mid-forties and her subsequent struggles with strength and forgetfulness.

“It’s not about asking men to do everything for menopausal women on the farm or croft, but if we can help them gain a better understanding of why we might need a bit more time or react a certain way to some things.

“Working with livestock can be an intense and stressful thing to do at the best of times, more so as a couple, and menopause symptoms can really exaggerate that sort of thing.

“So patience is needed on both sides – I can walk away from a day in the fanks and think I’ve been useless, which is probably never true. Raising awareness of how it can make you feel is bound to help both men and women,” she added

Menopause guide

The charity will launch a new menopause guide covering symptoms and how to support women experiencing the menopause.

The resource has been put together with the help of one of Scotland’s leading gynaecologists specialising in the menopause Dr Heather Currie.

Dr Currie will also appear on a podcast. The episode will feature crofter Sally Crowe and farmer Lesley Mitchell who have both got behind the campaign by sharing their personal experiences.

“It’s great that these women who are involved in farming have come forward to share their experiences for this campaign, to show that it’s not all about hot flushes,” said Dr Currie.

“The menopause is individual to everyone who experiences it. Symptoms can be different, lifestyles are different and the impact is different. It’s fantastic that there’s so much openness about the menopause, it’s not perfect but it’s so much better than it was.

“What I do say to men is not to offer solutions. Men like to try and fix things, but this is something they can’t fix. Just be there.

“It is for each woman to work out herself what to do, but it would be great if men could understand what’s going on and then work through it together, looking at resources together is a great place to start,” she added.

Throughout October, Farmstrong will release further menopause related content and nutrition information for women experiencing the menopause will also be made available.

Campaign origins

Alix Ritchie, Farmstrong director, said she wanted to drive the campaign forward because more than a third of the agricultural workforce in Scotland are female.

“Plus countless wives and partners who support farm operations and one hundred percent of them will at some point go through the menopause.

“As a charity focused on health and well-being, it naturally appealed to me and the team to open up the discussion on this more specifically to Scottish farming and crofting.

“Providing a platform for those peer-to-peer stories to be told and shared with the whole community is so important and from the responses we’ve had it’s clear that many women in the Scottish agricultural community are willing to have these conversations.

“We’re very grateful to all of them for coming forward to help raise awareness for everyone’s benefit,” she added.