Working through menopause
ALIYA Rahman learnt to deal with the hot flushes (cold water, all the time) that came with perimenopause after a couple of months. But what she couldn’t handle was the “brain fog” that would come over her and cause her to “just go blank”.
“I’d be in a meeting and all of a sudden, nothing. I didn’t know what I was going to say or what I was talking about. It was as if the computer in my head had just hung. It was embarrassing. I was aware of what was happening but what could I do? I learnt to always have a pen and paper with me and write down my thoughts and ideas immediately. So, when a fog comes over my brain, I could, at least, read from my notes and sound coherent. Until it passes,” shares Aliya.
Women already face discrimination in the workforce and Adele Lee says that the last thing she wanted was for her peers and bosses to think that she would not be able to do her job because she was “having hot flushes”.
“It’s not something that’s easy to hide – fanning yourself when everyone is feeling nice and cool in the air-conditioning – but I sucked it up and resisted the urge to pick up my fan. Of course, my sweaty brow would be a big tell-tale sign but I ignored it and so did the people around me. I didn’t talk about it and neither did they,” says Lee, a corporate lawyer.
In Britain, members of parliament from both labour and conservative parties are pushing for workplace policies that protect women going through menopause. They believe that “no woman should be at a disadvantage from menstruation to menopause”, according to an article in the Independent last year. British broadcaster Channel 4 are among British employers to implement a menopause policy that accords its female employees flexible working arrangements, tailored work spaces and even paid leave if they experienced menopause symptoms.
A study by Professor Amanda Griffiths from the University of Nottingham’s Institute of Work, Health and Organisations, found that many of the 900 women interviewed were not prepared for the arrival of the menopause: nearly half the women surveyed for the study had difficulties coping with symptoms at work. A similar number felt their job performance had been negatively affected, and nearly a fifth thought the menopause made managers and colleagues view them as less competent.
The study, done for the British Occupational Health Research Foundation, came up with four overarching areas for possible improvements at work: greater awareness of managers about menopause as a possible occupational health issue; increased flexibility of working hours and working arrangements; better support and improvements in workplace temperature and ventilation.
Based on the study, Britain’s Trade Union Congress issued its own guidance on menopause and work last year.
Whether women talk about it or not, managing the workday and their symptoms becomes stressful because women, like Aliya and Lee, don’t want to be vulnerable.
Obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Premitha Damodaran meets many such women in her clinic and testifies that the struggle is real.
“These are women who are often at the prime of their lives, who are doing very well at their jobs. Women who are multitasking between their careers and family. The feeling of not being able to control the symptoms hits them especially hard and many come to me and say they can’t function. It’s a really worry and this makes things (symptoms) worse – it’s a vicious cycle,” says Dr Premitha.
Menopause often intersects with a critical stage in a woman’s career, between age 45 and 55, when women are most likely to move into top leadership positions.
“Even though many men are supportive, the reality is women are already ostracised for having to take time off when they are having their periods, being away on maternity, having to be the caregivers to their family and parents,” she adds. “If they can’t cope, then women need to seek help. There is no shame is getting help. If you are experiencing anxiety, there is nothing wrong with taking anti-anxiety medicines in the short term to help you cope,” she says.