Can perimenopause and menopause affect the mental health of your colleagues in the workplace?
Perimenopause and menopause symptoms aren’t only physical. They cause hot flushes, night sweats, headaches, joint stiffness, aches and pains and more.
The symptoms of perimenopause and menopause can also be psychological and can cause:
- Irritability
- Feelings of sadness
- Lack of motivation
- Anxiety
- Aggressiveness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Fatigue
Learn more about the psychological symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, the varying degrees of severity of the symptoms and how these symptoms have affected women in the workplace.
How common are psychological symptoms with menopause?
The psychological symptoms associated with the menopause such as loss of self-confidence, low self-esteem, anxiety and depressive symptoms are the ones that often affect women the most.
Why does the menopause cause psychological symptoms?
The perimenopause and menopause is due to the body adjusting to the decline in levels of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone.
And this decline and change can trigger physical changes and psychological changes.
A lack of sleep can cause an increase in tiredness and fatigue which can then trigger stress and anxiety. What often happens is a vicious cycle of physical and emotional symptoms are created.
How long can symptoms affect women?
Symptoms can begin from the age of 40 but can happen earlier.
The average length of time is four years but many women still have some symptoms for longer than ten years.
There’s also surgical and medical menopause to consider too.
Medical or induced menopause is when a woman stops producing eggs and her menstrual cycle ceases prematurely due to certain medical treatments, such as chemotherapy and surgery. Unlike with natural menopause, which can take years, this process either occurs over a short period of transition time or abruptly, depending on the cause. Likewise, the cause of medical menopause determines if it is temporary or permanent.
Source: https://www.verywellhealth.com/
What is surgical menopause?
Surgical menopause results from a woman having both ovaries removed, in an operation known as a bilateral oophorectomy.
Check out our A guide for Managers: What you need to know about surgical menopause written by Helen Kemp, author of ‘Not your typical menopause’.
Will the symptoms be severe for everyone going through peri-menopause or menopause?
The answer is no. For some the peri-menopause and menopause will happen and they’ll comfortably be able to manage their symptoms.
For some, their symptoms range from moderate to extremely problematic.
It was found that work could be responsible for making peri-menopause and menopause symptoms worse.
The Menopause Survey 2018 highlighted that:
- 76% said their symptoms were moderately or extremely problematic at work
- 20% said they had considered leaving work
- This increased to 44% for those whose symptoms were extremely problematic
Is it obvious that these symptoms are caused by perimenopause or menopause?
Perimenopause and menopause symptoms can also, frustratingly, be caused by other conditions.
For many, they won’t recognise their symptoms are caused by perimenopause or menopause.
So they won’t talk about it
Won’t ask for help
For some, they may have symptoms but their periods remain regular which leads them to think it can’t be perimenopause or menopausal. They may have never heard of peri-menopause symptoms so don’t make the connection.
Or they do recognise it’s menopausal and they’re uncomfortable talking about it so say nothing.
Why it’s important we talk about menopause in the workplace
How many women may be affected in the workplace?
- Almost 8 out of 10 of menopausal women are in work.
- The fastest growing demographic in the workforce are menopausal women.
- It’s estimated that currently, around 13 million women in the UK are either peri-menopausal or menopausal. This is equal to one third of the entire UK female population.
Research shows:
- 40.3% suffer with fatigue
- 35.1% suffer with hot flushes
- 34.6% suffer with brain fog
- 31.9% suffer with anxiety and worry
- 29.5% suffer with insomnia
What is the impact of menopause in the workplace?
According to a 2017 UK Government report, the impact of menopause on women’s economic participation includes:
- Reduced engagement with work
- Reduced job satisfaction
- Reduced commitment to the organisation
- Higher sickness absence
- An increased desire to leave work altogether.
Want to understand more about how the menopause affects mental health?
Further reading:
How can menopause affect your mental health
