When the pandemic hit in 2020, Kris Depencier, like many others, found herself working remotely. Little did she know, this wasn’t the only change she’d experience — she’d also start going through menopause during this time.
Kris, now the Executive Vice President of Regional Banking at RBC, counts herself fortunate that the most severe of her symptoms happened while she was at home.
For Kris, the hot flashes, irritability and restlessness meant she wasn’t sleeping, eating well or exercising. But what was most scary for her were the changes to her period — the unexpectedly heavy bleeding — and her inability to discern what was normal and what was cause for concern.
“I can remember I started to feel faint from losing so much blood,” recalls Kris. “I lay down and said to my husband, ‘I think we need to call the hospital’. I was thinking, ‘That doesn’t seem normal, that can’t be normal, right? Is there something more serious going on?’”
Her feelings of fear were compounded by her uncertainty, confusion and a gap in health care.
“I had no idea what was happening. You sort of expect that your period just stops and life goes on,” says Kris. “It isn’t something people speak very openly about and the medical system hadn't provided me with a lot of answers, so I wasn't really knowledgeable or aware that this would be something I would experience. That was terrifying, honestly.”
It was through this experience that Kris realized how challenging menopause symptoms can be, and she started to explore the resources available in her workplace.
“Navigating busy schedules, boardrooms and speaking engagements while trying to look professional and be confident. I can't imagine how women can work through that without having access to great support and resources,” says Kris.
Her experience motivated her to speak up about the gaps that exist on trusted sources of information available for women going through menopause, and she started to facilitate more awareness of the topic and to share her own story.
“Since the pandemic, I’ve had the opportunity to get engaged with the great work that Mount Sinai Hospital was doing. I’ve also been able to bring colleagues together at RBC to support one another, where helpful; appreciating that everyone experiences this journey differently and not everyone is comfortable sharing their experiences or discuss symptoms openly.”
RBC was the first corporate partner to support the Centre for Mature Women’s Health, which aims to raise awareness and improve care for women experiencing menopause.
“We have this unique opportunity to support these causes that maybe don’t get enough awareness and support. Being able to step up and make a difference, I think that really speaks to how RBC is helping communities thrive,” says Kris. “We’re proud of the work that we do supporting women. We want to continue to advance women in leadership positions and we need to make sure that if there are things that make that challenging, that we are part of helping to bring awareness to solutions, and make sure that people have access to support and resources we have available.”
In partnership with Sinai Health, RBC held an International Women’s Day event for clients and staff with the objective of increasing awareness about common menopause symptoms and sharing personal experiences. Since then, the conversation has bubbled over — with more women feeling comfortable sharing their experiences with menopause and how events like this have helped them feel empowered and less alone. RBC also signed onto the Menopause Works Here™ campaign through the Menopause Foundation of Canada that champions menopause inclusive workplaces.
“There’s no question that when we feel comfortable putting these topics on the table in a professional setting, that extends to the home, it extends to our community and to friends and family,” says Kris. “I think that multiplier effect, of building people’s comfort and confidence talking about issues, is pretty special. You see that you can have that reach well beyond your own experience.”
While more discussions are being had about mature women’s health, Kris believes there is still work to be done. She has her own message to share with other organizations hoping to do more to support their employees.
“It's just important to get involved,” says Kris. “Whether that's creating safe spaces for people to have conversations about menopause and to share their experiences. Or whether that's connecting them to benefits, resources and information and just ensuring that all women are aware that there is help, that there is expertise, that there are solutions that can really help women navigate menopause, should they need it.”
We are grateful to Kris and RBC, for supporting the Centre for Mature Women’s Health and the Hot and Bothered™ campaign. To learn more about the ongoing campaign to support care, research and education in women’s health click here.
How Kris Depencier’s experience with menopause motivated her to speak more openly about it at work.
Heddie wasn't ready for the chronic exhaustion she would experience when her hot flashes kept her from getting more than three hours of sleep at a time.
