Personal experiences of working through the menopause

According to the British Menopause Society, 45% of women feel their menopause symptoms have had a negative impact on their work. The menopause is the time when a woman stops having periods, and she’s no longer able to get pregnant. It’s a natural stage of life that can affect women at different ages; the average is 51 but this can vary widely from woman to woman.

We wanted to shine a light on women’s experiences of working through the menopause: how it affected them, and what helped. Here's Sally's story.

Sally

"I went into a relatively early menopause at around the age of 43 with what is known as perimenopause. A whole myriad of symptoms including feeling as though my core temperature had just risen overall, resulting in never feeling the cold and always being hot (dreading the summer).

“Feelings of pins and needles or crawling under the skin, awful headaches and scalp sensitivity, bloating, incredible tiredness, aches and pains everywhere, along with almost all of the long list of symptoms associated with menopause.

“Sleep? What is sleep? One of the strangest symptoms is the fear of dread that sweeps over, out of the blue and most often at night.

“I’ve found that the symptoms of menopause change throughout the process. Symptoms that were once in the forefront dissipate and are replaced by different symptoms (as hormones lessen and change I guess).

“I made a point of educating myself on all things menopause to help myself and allay any fears that try to creep in. I have used the knowledge I have gained to help work colleagues and friends going through the same experiences. I am able to provide understanding and reassurance and have on a few occasions had a colleague say things like ‘thank goodness – it’s good to know that this or that is normal and not something to worry about’. I try to get them to talk about it and not suffer in silence and in fear.”

Find out more from Bupa

• Menopause overview
• The menopause – your common questions answered
• Hormone replacement therapy
• How to manage hot flushes

Sources

• British Menopause Society. New survey highlights impact of the menopause on every aspect of women’s lives in the UK. www.womens-health-concern.org, published October 2017
• NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries. Menopause. cks.nice.org.uk, last revised November 2020