Farmstrong Scotland’s new campaign tackles menopause in Scottish Agriculture

Wellbeing charity Farmstrong Scotland has announced a new campaign to help the agricultural community better understand the menopause and its impact on farming homes and workplaces, for both women and men. 

Launched in October, to coincide with Menopause Awareness Month and World Menopause Day (October 18th), 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.

Kicking off the campaign, the charity will launch a brand-new comprehensive menopause guide covering symptoms and how to support women experiencing the menopause, as well as ‘myth busters’ and ‘things men ought to know’. The resource has been put together with the help of Farmstrong’s wellbeing expert Dr Heather Currie MBE, who has become the newest addition to its catalogue of specialists offering advice and support.

One of the country’s leading gynaecologists specialising in the menopause, Dr Currie is the founder of Menopause Matters. The award-winning, independent website provides up to date, factual information about the menopause, symptoms, and treatment options. 

Dr Currie will also appear on the Blether Together podcast with host Sarah Stephen. The episode will feature crofter Sally Crowe from Caithness and farmer Lesley Mitchell from the Scottish Borders, 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,” explains 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.”

Throughout October, Farmstrong will release further menopause related content, including a story with Killin farmer Christine Cameron on her experience of perimenopause through her mid-forties, and her subsequent struggles with strength and forgetfulness.

Christine explained why awareness is important: “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.”

Building on this need for awareness and bringing the conversation to life in person, Sarah Stephen will host a Blether Together Live event on Thursday 16^th October, at Guardswell Farm, Inchture from 6.30pm. Food will be served before special guests including Caroline Millar will take to the stage for an evening discussing the menopause.

Launching later in the month, a nutrition-focused resource will feature insights from Dr Laura Wyness, Registered Nutritionist and author of Eating Well for Menopause, and Sheila Ogilvie who crofts in Argyll and Bute.

A retired nurse, Sheila has noticed the benefits of avoiding certain foods during menopause - not only for joint pain relief but for her overall wellbeing. Living by a 'mind and body as one' philosophy, she believes that whatever you feed your body also feeds your brain, and has found that eating healthier, whole foods helps her feel better both physically and mentally.

Alix Ritchie, Director at Farmstrong, detailed why she was keen to drive this campaign forward: “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 wellbeing, 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, and we’re very grateful to all of them for coming forward to help raise awareness for everyone’s benefit.”

Tickets for Blether Together Live at Guardswell Farm on 16^th October are FREE and available at https://www.farmstrongscotland.org.uk/events