Happy World (Autistic) Menopause Day 2024!
Happy World (Autistic) Menopause Day 2024!
Here are the best resources available for autistic perimenopause so far...
Friday 18th October 2024 marks International World Menopause Day 💕
Autistic perimenopause is becoming increasingly well known, so let’s keep the momentum going. I have many go to resources and podcast links to share. Infodumping is my love language, so please indulge me! 🎉
The National Autistic Society in the UK has just released this Autism and Menopause guide which offers introductory level information. They have also updated their website’s Menopause page:
The menopause can bring challenges whether or not you are autistic. There is little research about autistic experiences of the menopause, but being informed about ways it might interact with your autistic traits can help you to advocate more effectively and have more compassion for yourself.
The NHS 'Menopause and Autism' webpage has some great video, infographic and literature on the autistic experience of the menopausal transition. Included are excellent links to external websites for non-autism specific resources regarding tracking and recording symptoms, health information etc.
It doesn’t get much more comprehensive than the Autistica webinar on Autism and menopause:
Menopause can be a time of changes and challenges. Emerging research suggests that autistic people may find it especially difficult. Very little is known, however, about ways that menopause might differ for autistic and non-autistic people, why some individuals might have a harder time than others, and what can be done to help them through.
In this webinar, we will explore the state of current knowledge around autistic experiences of menopause, as well as the gaps where we need to know more. The webinar will include several short talks with plenty of time for questions and discussion, where we hope to learn from our listeners their thoughts and ideas around research priorities and strategies for managing menopause.
Professor Rebecca Charlton of Goldsmiths University of London will introduce the topic of menopause with a short overview of this life stage.
Professor Julie Gamble-Turner and Dr Rachel Moseley of Bournemouth University will discuss why autistic people might struggle with menopause, as well as their research on the menopause experiences of autistic adults.
Dr Richard de Visser of the University of Sussex will discuss his research and the results of an ongoing study which situates menopausal experiences within the broader challenges autistic people face with reproductive health.
I had the honour of meeting author, podcaster and Meno-guru Kate Codrington in the UK during my recent flying visit, and picked up several signed copies of her fantastic book, Second Spring: the self-care guide to menopause.
You’re not going mad, you’re becoming sane
Perimenopause can sometimes feel like the rug has been pulled from under our feet and this can leave us feeling disempowered and lost. Second Spring is a new kind of menopause book, bringing the radical notion that with small changes and a clear-eyed look at what’s no longer serving you, you can reclaim your vitality and joy in life.
Second Spring offers a new vision for menopause, mapping the psychological phases and showing how this period in your life can be a time of personal growth. Like your slightly sweary best friend, I guide you through managing physical challenges with lifestyle changes and understanding what might be causing them. Whether you choose a natural route, HRT or a combination of both, there’s a wealth of self-care practices available here to soothe your symptoms. These include journaling prompts, practical tips, soulful enquiries and real-life solutions for managing symptoms with kindness, helping you to become the person you always longed to be.
Kate’s second book, The Perimenopause Journal: Unlock Your Power, Own Your Wellbeing, Find Your Path promises to also be excellent!
Whilst Kate’s books are not autism-specific, they lend themselves to supporting a neuro-affirming approach to perimenopause.
The podcast episode featured above is a great discussion on autistic perimenopause, with Kate being probably the first person I heard giving this important topic any airtime! 💪
The episode shownotes (with great links and resources definitely worth following up on) from this fantastic podcast episode are here. Kate also has free resources including menstruation charts, visual guides, workshops and yoga nidras for supporting women through menopause. All very autism-friendly!
The wonderful autistic Dr. Rachel Moseley researching autistic perimenopause amongst other topics at Bournemouth University has a fantastic website called Science on the Spectrum, with a resources and support page here.
Rachel has compiled this document packed full of links, resources and information to support autistic/neurodivergent people with ovaries through their menopausal transition.
Rachel is a leading light into academic study of autistic perimenopause, as well as researching the suicidality risk to autistics and other vital topics. Here are some of those published academic research articles:
"A perfect storm”: Autistic experiences of menopause and midlife (2024)
Autism research is ‘all about the blokes and the kids’: Autistic women breaking the silence on menopause (2021)
‘When my autism broke’: A qualitative study spotlighting autistic voices on menopause (2020)
Dr. Michelle Garnett, Professor Tony Attwood and Emma Hinze have written a brief literature review (as there still isn’t much research yet) and the implications of the research in their blogpost ‘Hormonal Changes in Autistic Girls and Women*’.
The Australasian Menopause Society infographics provide visual presentations of the symptoms of menopause, health and weight management in menopause and information on menopause hormone therapy (MHT). Their website has lots of basic fact sheets, more detailed information sheets regarding different aspects of menopause, menopause videos for women from The Menopause Society including self-assessment tools, although none specifically about autistic menopause yet…
💕 And here are a couple of my own previous posts…
Data voids in autistic menopause research
That’s all I can think of for now. Please let me know what I have missed.
⭐️ What are your favourite resources? ⭐️
Please add links in the comments, including any fellow Substackers who write on the topic of autistic perimenopause 💕
Let’s build up this resource file and keep pushing our midlife autistic advocacy onwards! 💪
It’s bedtime here and I don’t know how I am going to get the kids and myself to sleep. We are always so excited on World Menopause Day Eve 🤪
HAPPY WORLD MENOPAUSE DAY 2024!
Fantastic resources. Thank you! I love Kate Codrington.
Sam I am so chuffed you quoted me. Really I learn so much from your writing and benefit hugely from your love language 🙏🙏