Perimenopause, Menopause, and Post-Menopause at Work

By Ellen Dolgen

If you are smack in the middle of your menopausal journey, you may be experiencing hot flashes, insomnia, brain fog, or emotional highs and lows that are making you dizzier than a ride on Space Mountain at Disneyland. You might feel like an alien has taken over your body.

One thing that doesn’t change through ‘the change’ is your daily responsibilities either at home, work, or socially. Many women are in leadership roles or starting new businesses in mid-life. Why not, we are living longer? No matter whether you work inside the home or outside the home or both, you can’t leave your menopause on the kitchen counter. It comes right along with you – wherever you go. Oh, joy!

Menopausal symptoms may make your work life more difficult causing you to make more mistakes, be more emotional, or even anxious? Menopausal symptoms can wreck havoc on your confidence and self-worth.  The emotional highs and lows can remind you of those dreaded pubescent years we all try to forget.

Here are my top 4 tips for managing perimenopause and menopause in the workplace:

1. Find a menopause specialist- FAST! This may not be the healthcare provider that you are currently going to, nor the gynecologist that delivered your babies. However, there could be a doctor or nurse practitioner in the gynecologist’s office that you are currently going to that does specialize in menopause. This healthcare provider will be up on the latest information and studies so that they can develop an individual plan to meet your specific health needs. If you are currently going to a healthcare provider that is NOT helping your menopausal symptoms, then find another one! No divorce attorney needed. I have some helpful tips on how to find a specialist here.
2. Download my FREE eBook, MENOPAUSE MONDAYS The Girlfriend’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving During Perimenopause and Menopause, a comprehensive guide to all things menopause—the symptoms, the treatments, and the long-range effects on a woman’s health. In this book, you will find the expertise of numerous specialists to help you replace the confusion and embarrassment with medically sound solutions. You will find detailed descriptions and treatments for the symptoms you or your loved one may experience, from hot flashes and mood swings to mental fogginess and loss of libido, and lots more in between.
3. Stay up on the latest information and studies so that you can become your own best health advocate. Browse through my Menopause Mondays blog posts and read the posts that might pertain to your symptoms and concerns. This will help you base your healthcare decisions on facts instead of fear or old information. For example, if you want to learn about the 2016 global consensus on menopausal hormone therapy –  then read Menopause Mondays: The Latest Info on Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT).
4. Most importantly, trust how you feel! You know when you don’t feel well. So, reach out and get the help you need and deserve.

One final request! If you are in a leadership role, I encourage you to take the lead on this issue. Bust open the menopause conversation at work. I am here to help craft a customized program for your company.  Menopause happens when women are at the peak of their careers. No need to have a blip on that screen. Once you get the proper help that you need, you can lead a happy, healthy, productive life in perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause!

Ellen Dolgen, spurred by her own experience struggling with the symptoms of menopause, is devoted to helping women everywhere. Through EllenDolgen.com and her FREE eBook, MENOPAUSE MONDAYS The Girlfriend’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving During Perimenopause and Menopause, she shares the expertise of numerous specialists to replace confusion and embarrassment with medically sound solutions, presented in an entertaining and informative way. From hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings, mental fogginess, loss of libido, heart health, and lots more in between, EllenDolgen.com provides empowerment for women to become their own best health advocates. Her motto is: Suffering in silence is OUT! Reaching out is IN!