Menopause, without the pause

There are physical manifestations of the menopause that everyone talks about: the hot sweats, the itchy skin, the lack of sleep. But the lesser-known ones are anxiety and depression. It’s like a vortex of despair, because your oestrogen level which declines at this time, is what regulates serotonin in your body. You forget things, you have this brain fog, and you get emotional out of nowhere.

At Accenture, we’ve been working to “rebrand” the menopause, improving access to healthcare relating to the menopause for our people. One of these access points is Peppy, an app that offers personalised support from expert practitioners, which is available through AXA. From hormonal health to fertility and new parenthood through to menopause, the Peppy app offers resources such as articles, videos and informative broadcasts as well as support programmes and access to expert practitioners.

No appointment necessary: All you need to do is pick up your phone, open the Peppy app and click on ‘chat’, and you’ll be connected to a qualified clinical practitioner one-on-one. Once you’ve signed up to the app, you fill out a questionnaire, and a private chat window pops up. It’s not a chat bot but a real person answering all of your questions; the information is really current, even tackling subjects like whether the Covid vaccine can impact menopausal bleeding.

Peppy is designed to support people of all genders and sexualities who are experiencing these life-changing events or those who know someone that may be, including family members, managers and colleagues. The more everyone is aware of these issues, the less scary it will be to start conversations about them and access vital support

Many women fall off the career-progression ladder post-children, and then, if/when they get back on, within another five or ten years, they’re hitting the next barrier, which is menopause. Of course, while menopause typically affects women later in life, that’s not true for everyone. So while Accenture is striving to stem the attrition of that experienced group of people, we’re equally committed to making all women feel more comfortable talking about health-related topics like the menopause at work.

When it comes to gender diversity, recruitment is one of our major focuses. Around a quarter of people who experience menopause symptoms consider quitting their job. If we can reduce that number—by showing them there are resources, ways to manage the situation, and help available for workplace adjustments—it will be a crucial step towards our company achieving a 50-50 gender balance by 2025.

For more information about Peppy and support for the menopause, visit peppy.health

To find out more about our impact in the UK go to Accenture.com/ukimpact.

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