The Key Learning Points:

1. The need for a greater focus on women’s health and wellbeing, particularly those experiencing anxiety within the workplace having reached their mid-life 

2. How the Covid-19 pandemic can have positive and negative impacts on working women

3. Tips on how insurance providers can better support female customers 

Today on the Risky Mix Podcast we’re lucky to be joined by Dr Shahzadi Harper, a medical specialist in women’s health and wellbeing, with a particular focus on the menopause. Dr Shahzadi is on a mission to empower women to look and feel their best and today she’s joined us for chat to tell us about some of the medical trends she’s seeing and what employers and insurers can do to better support their staff and customers.

Shahzadi explains that she always wanted to be a doctor: “Vision was always of me being this super-powered doctor. Wearing heels, commanding this specialist team in the hospital. But life takes different turns.” Shahzadi qualified and quickly fell pregnant, becoming a single mum, which got her thinking about how best she could juggle work and family life. She became a GP, which she explains, gave her many opportunities and allowed her to upskill. She had a “lightbulb moment” in 2014, after identifying a gap in women’s health: “I felt that women’s health and wellbeing wasn’t being given that attention or priority. I wanted to be the doctor that joined the dots for a woman and empowered her to take a proactive approach to her life.” 

Shahzadi set up The Harper Clinic 15 months ago after going through a painful divorce and reading ‘Lean In’ by Sheryl Sandberg: “I learnt that as women, sometimes, even if we’re 90% right we won’t make a big move. Whereas men, even if they’re 60% or 70% right, they’ll make that move.” So she went for it, thinking it’s now or never! “I wanted to show other women that this is a new stage in your life. Life’s not over. It’s mid-life!” Shahzadi explains that whilst she is a prescribing doctor, she sees herself as more of a “midlife life coach doctor”, someone who takes an integrated and holistic approach to wellbeing.

We speak about medical trends and the concerns that Shahzadi is hearing more about: “There are many more women working in the workplace, high up in their careers. A lot of them are finding that they’re floundering a little bit. They can put on a front of confidence, but actually inside, internally, they’re feeling more overwhelmed. Their coping abilities aren’t what they used to be. They’re suddenly experiencing anxiety and palpitations.” She goes on to add that COVID-19 is building additional stresses on top of this, including financial worries and relationship strains, but also adds that the outcome of the pandemic may in fact benefit many women: “Maybe asking for flexible working might not seem like such a no-no moving into the future.”

We move onto discuss insurance and the role insurers can play in better supporting women. “A lot of people do have private medical insurance. I think one of the things insurance companies could do is pay for their customers to go and see a menopause doctor.” Shahzadi explains that many menopause doctors are GPs, and for this reason, many PMI policies won’t cover the cost of the appointments. “From a woman’s perspective, she feels she’s not being heard, and her symptoms aren’t being taken seriously enough.” Shahzadi adds that many women facing these confusing symptoms will be sent to various consultants and specialists, which may not always be the most cost-effective route to take and we discuss the possibility of introducing a female health bolt-on to PMI policies.