CLEVELAND – New data shows menopause could be negatively affecting some people in the workplace.
Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director with the North American Menopause Society, noticed this topic has long been under-researched, so she and a team of experts at the Mayo Clinic studied more than 4,000 working women.
“About 13% of them were reporting having some adverse work outcomes due to menopause symptoms,” Faubion said. “And about just under 11% of women reported missing days of work, due to menopause symptoms.”
According to the National Institute on Aging, most women begin menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, often about the same time they move into leadership roles in their careers.
While much of the population will eventually experience symptoms of menopause, they’re rarely discussed, especially in the workplace.
“I think women should be able to do their jobs without having to worry about menopause symptoms and the impact that they may be having on their work productivity or the quality of their work or their ability to work in general,” Faubion said.
There are a number of treatments for menopause symptoms, said Dr. Laura Thornton, a chiropractor at River Chopra.
“One of my favorite groups of people, favorite demographic, is women of a certain age who are educated and they’ve always had careers and they’re moving up in their careers and working with them to find natural ways to calm the symptoms,” Thornton said.
Thornton said she experienced some mild symptoms like hot flashes and tiredness, but she knows everyone is different.
“Some people have mild hot flashes, some people are severe,” Thorton said. “Some people have really bad brain fog, and some people don’t have any. A lot of times there’s sleep issues involved, and sometimes there’s not.”
For some folks, the symptoms can be so severe, they affect their personal and professional lives.
“Sometimes when a woman comes in who’s suffering with menopause symptoms, it can be very interruptive,” Thornton said. “A lot of times to their work and to even their home life and their ability to be present and calm.”
Despite the real impact menopause can have on a person’s well-being, Thornton emphasized symptoms are treatable and can be managed.
“It does not have to slow you down,” she said. “I’m living proof of that.”
Both Thornton and Faubion said women should never have to shy away from opportunities because of their symptoms.
Faubion said examples of workplace accommodations for employees going through menopause could look like temperature control, access to cold water, schedule flexibility and access to services or care.
“This is a huge, huge economic burden in the United States that we’re sort of missing right now,” Faubion said. “And I think we need to pay more attention to it. It speaks to the need for workplace policies that would benefit women.”
