Menopause Myth-Busting for Men
An Essential Guide for IP Professionals
A lunchtime webinar from IPause and the working group for men in IP
Wednesday 30 September 2026
12.00 – 1.00 pm, online
You can watch a recording of the main presentation from this webinar below:
You can also find Fiona’s slides on our resources page.
This webinar was held by IPause and IP Inclusive’s working group for men in IP for men and people who identify as men.
Our speaker, Dr Fiona O’Donoghue, is a GP who specialises in supporting and treating menopause patients, and so the webinar was grounded in medical science with references to evidence-based studies.
Fiona covered the basics of female perimenopause and menopause, and in particular explaining the definitions of perimenopause (the time period when hormones are changing in the run up to) menopause (defined as the point when the individual has been without menstrual bleeding for 12-months). Fiona went on to highlight some of the many possible symptoms experienced during perimenopause, including brain fog, mental health difficulties and how the impact of drastically fluctuating hormone levels make the appearance of symptoms unpredictable.
Fiona also covered the consequences of the hormonal changes on cardiac health especially, and also bone health and how the these health impacts are much more significant than other well-known women’s health issues such as breast cancer.
Fiona clearly highlighted the impact that perimenopause symptoms can have on individuals and how this can impact their confidence in themselves and their performance at work on a temporary basis while symptoms are being experienced (in particular when symptoms can come on rapidly and unexpectedly.
Attendees came away from the session with more understanding of the scientific basis for menopause and its impact, and that it is very much a life transition and not a permanent state of being.
The talk was recorded and this recording is also found on this page, along with the slides.