World Menopause day is 18th October and we want to join the conversation.
The day is to raise awareness, break the stigma and highlight the support options available for improving health and wellbeing.
I will be highlighting some cases in October, which have made it to tribunal which are centred around the menopause.
Case 1
The claimant suffered from insomnia, fatigue, low mood, irritability, anxiety, heart palpitations, memory loss, confusion, concentration problems, low self-esteem, headaches / migraines, night sweats, sleep disturbance and urinary problems. She forgot to attend events and meetings and spent long periods in bed due to exhaustion. She stated that the symptoms significantly impacted the quality of her life. She was prescribed HRT and was under the care of a menopause clinic. She resigned and claimed sex discrimination and disability discrimination due to the companies heavy handed absence management system.
This case demonstrates how the effects of menopause could amount to a disability under the Equality Act 2010. Here the claimant was a social worker with severe symptoms including insomnia, fatigue and palpitations, which she had experienced for over 2 years. She won her case on both grounds.