Menopause Resources for Veterinary Teams
Welcome to our free menopause resources to reduce the impact of perimenopausal symptoms for veterinary team members!
The resources are are aimed both at individuals impacted directly and those wanting to support others (that should be all of us!). There’s a wealth of information and practical advice presented in accessible bitesize videos, based on the pillars of lifestyle medicine, breathwork and yoga techniques, and the neuropsychology of hormones.
First things first, menopause is defined as the point in time one year after a woman has had her final menstrual cycle.
Perimenopause is the period of time around the menopause – typically lasting for a decade – where women may experience symptoms due to fluctuations in hormones. These symptoms may impact various organ systems – including the brain – and can be variable within and between individuals. Even for those who do not experience overt negative psychological or physical symptoms, there are subclinical changes that can increase the risk of severe cardiovascular, urogenital and musculoskeletal disease.
Why should you engage with the topic of menopause? Watch this 3 minute video outlining the impacts on veterinary teams.
How to use this course
This course is for everyone. The bitesize videos and audio are designed to help you try different support resources to empower you with understanding, help you mitigate symptoms and/or support others who may be impacted. Dip in and out, explore what may help you and others, and please like and share to other veterinary colleagues to help us all live happier and healthier through what can be a challenging phase of life.
About the experts:
Dr. Claire Gillvray, medical doctor, founder of Gillvray Health, Lifestyle Medicine specialist and psychiatrist
Dr Claire talk us through an introduction to menopause, treatment options, then how we can adapt the 6 pillars of lifestyle medicine to help us live happier and healthier through the menopause: stress, movement, nutrition, connection, negative behaviours, and sleep. She finishes with discussing the importance of workplace support, and how men can engage with menopause and the comparison with andropause.
Dr. Chloe Hannigan, vet, qualified yoga instructor and founder of VetYogi
Dr. Chloe provides practical yoga, meditation and breathwork sessions to help us achieve more balance around the pillars of lifestyle medicine outlined by Dr. Claire.
Dr. Libby Kemkaran, vet, neuropsychologist and coach, founder of Tame Your Brain(TM)
Dr. Libby talks us through the neurochemical changes in the brain due to our hormones, how this impacts different personality types in different ways, and practical mitigation tools.
Additional Resources
Peer support – join the Veterinary Menopause Chats facebook group, for everyone impacted by menopause to share and discuss, and for those wanting to learn and understand how they can support others.
Scroll to the bottom for lots of great links to other resources; veterinary or otherwise.
How you can help
Huge thanks to the sponsors without whose support and encouragement these resources could not have been created. WellVet would welcome additional support, especially from veterinary employers, to continue developing and hosting these resources, and most importantly to encourage all their team members to access the content so they can give and receive support at this challenging life stage.
WellVet is also exploring research collaborations to better understand the impact on veterinary team members. Anyone interested in getting involved or sponsoring the next phases of this vital work is warmly invited to contact liz@wellvet.co.uk.
Further reading: Read the Veterinary Woman/SPVS Veterinary Menopause Report
Introduction to the menopause
In this session, Dr Claire Gillvray gives an overview of the phases of menopause and associated symptoms.
7 minutes
Introduction to Big Cat Brains (TM)
In this session, Dr Libby Kemkaran, introduces the Big Cat Brain(TM) types, and how this affects our experience of menopausal symptoms.
23 minutes
How hormones impact our brain
Dr Libby Kemkaran talks through how hormones impact the brain, and the changes during menopause for different Big Cat Brain(TM) types.
20 minutes
How to tame the menopausal brain
Dr Libby Kemkaran, gives practical tips to Tame Your Brain(TM) through menopause, to mitigate symptoms.
25 minutes
Menopause treatment options
Dr, Claire Gillvray talks through symptom tracking, how to get the most from your health professional, and treatment options in perimenopause.
12 minutes
Stress management
In this video, Dr Claire Gillvray explores how the first Lifestyle Medicine Pillar, mental wellbeing and stress management, can help alleviate menopausal symptoms.
28 minutes
Stress management: Hatha yoga
In this gentle, 30 minute practical yoga session, VetYogi Dr Chloe Hannigan takes us through techniques for relaxation that can support regulation of hormonal symptoms
Stress management: Cool & calm breathwork
VetYogi Dr Chloe Hannigan guides us through quick, practical breathwork to calm and cool symptoms wherever we are. 18 minutes.
Stress management: Meditation SOS
In this 5 minute guided meditation, VetYogi Dr Chloe Hannigan unlocks the power of the mind to mitigate symptoms.
Movement and the Menopause
In this video, Dr Claire Gillvray talks us through the importance of movement for a healthy mind and body through perimenopause and beyond, with practical tips on how to fit this into busy working lives.
17 minutes
Movement: Channel Your Inner Fire Flow
In this 35 minute Vinyasa flow yoga, Dr Chloe Hannigan helps us channel the inner fire to cool and calm our bodies.
Nutrition and the Menopause
Dr Claire Gillvray explains the importance of nutrition and adapting to the changing needs of the perimenopausal body.
21 minutes
Connection and the Menopause
Connection can be a vital part of living healthily through the perimenopause. Dr. Claire talks us through the importance of taking time to connect to ourselves, to nature or to other people during this time.
Connection: Connect to Change Yin
In this hour-long Yin Yoga, Dr Chloe helps us re-connect to ourselves and our changing bodies through the transition of perimenopause.
Connection: Connecting You to You
Take a moment to connect back to your core and practice some self-compassion and acceptance during this period of change. Enjoy this 10 minute meditation with Dr Chloe.
Connection: Circle of Support
At a busy time in our lives and bodies, Vetyogi Dr Chloe Hannigan helps us bring our attention to the circle of support around us to help us through this time.
Negative Behaviours and the Menopause
Negative behaviours and habits can be especially detrimental during this period of psychological and physical change. Dr Claire helps us identify some of the habits we many not even be aware of, and strategies to help us form healthier habits.
14 minutes
Sleep and the Menopause
Poor sleep is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms of perimenopause, and of ageing in general. Dr Claire Gillvray talks us through the power of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help us improve our sleep. A must-watch for anyone in later stages of life.
19 minutes.
Sleep: Unwind Evening Yoga
Enjoy evening stretching and relaxation with this 22 minute gentle yoga practice with VetYogi Dr. Chloe Hannigan. Perfect to wind down before bedtime.
Sleep Tonic Meditation
Fall asleep to this 5 minute calming meditation with VetYogi, Dr. Chloe Hannigan. Ideal if you're struggling to calm a busy mind before bedtime.
Sleep: Restful Yoga Nidra
Yoga nidra has been shown to calm the brainwaves and help us prepare for and achieve restful sleep. Enjoy this 22 minute practice with Dr. Chloe Hannigan while lying comfortably, or in bed, to help you drop off to sleep.
Menopause in the Workplace
Dr Claire Gillvray talks through the importance of awareness and support in the workplace, and practical changes than can be made and to improve retention, and most importantly the health and wellbeing of colleagues (and clients) experiencing perimenopausal symptoms.
11 minutes
Men and the Menopause, and Andropause
It's vital for all genders to engage in menopause awareness so we can support our friends, family, clients and colleagues who may be impacted. This session with Dr. Claire also covers andropause and how this may impact men through the similar period of life.
10 minutes
Additional Resources:
Peer support – join the Veterinary Menopause Chats facebook group, for everyone impacted by menopause to share and discuss, and for those wanting to learn and understand how they can support others.
British Veterinary Assocation Menopause Hub
Veterinary Woman Menopause Page
