9 tips for dealing with menopause symptoms at work

You’ve likely heard that menopause can affect your weight, sleep, and even your mood. However, there are other, less talked about, aspects of a woman’s daily life that can be affected by “the change.” If you’ve ever felt the whoosh of heat and the telltale beads of sweat forming on your brow that signals a hot flash just as you were about to give a presentation, you know that menopause symptoms can also have big impact on your job performance.

Menopause may be a natural process for women, but just because it’s natural doesn’t make it easy to cope with the hot flashes, memory difficulty, mood swings, bladder leaks, and brain fog that may come with it — especially when they occur at work. Add to this night sweats and sleep disturbances that can lead to insomnia and daytime fatigue, and it’s clear that menopause can impair your ability to be as effective at your job as you’re used to. 

Tips for coping with menopause at work 

About one-third of working women say coping with menopause symptoms have caused them significant difficulty at work.¹ If you’ve been sweating through frequent “secret summers” caused by hot flashes, experiencing brain fog that made you miss deadlines, or worrying about having an accident whenever you laugh with co-workers, these tips might help.

1. Dress in layers so that it’s easier to adjust when your internal thermostat starts to run hot.

2. Take short breaks to help manage stress and clear your head. Better yet, make it a movement break by taking a walk around the office or walk up a few flights of stairs. Exercise can boost memory and improve cognition.²

3. Keep a small personal fan at your desk to cool off and stash wet wipes and antiperspirant in your bag in case you need to freshen up during the day.³

4. Skip the spicy lunch options and cut down on caffeinated drinks — yes, that includes cola and iced coffee — which can contribute to overheating. If you just can’t pass up the jerk chicken or vindaloo when it’s on the cafeteria menu or function without an extra-large morning mug of coffee, try to avoid them before big meetings or presentations.⁴ 

5. Create a plan to stay organized, whether it’s keeping a bullet journal or an old-fashioned running checklist of tasks and their due dates you can check off.

6. Talk to your manager about your situation. They may be able to make accommodations like move you to a cooler part of the workspace or modify worksite temperatures and dress codes to help with hot flashes, allow you to take extra or more frequent breaks during the day, start work later, or offer a flexible schedule to help combat fatigue caused by sleep issues. Your company may also grant consistent access to designated areas to freshen up, change clothes, or access sanitary products.⁵

7. Keep a bottle of cool water on hand to stay hydrated.

8. Move to a quieter workspace or use noise-cancelling headphones or a white noise machine if you’re having trouble concentrating or maintaining focus.

9. Engage in mindfulness practices like breathing exercises, which can help manage stress.⁶ 

In the past, there was a lot of stigma associated with menopause. It wasn’t considered a fit subject for conversation, particularly in the workplace. Happily, attitudes have begun to change. The more openly menopause symptoms are discussed, the easier it is for women to find solutions that work for them. It doesn’t take a major overhaul to make coping with menopause a more comfortable experience at work. At the end of the day, very small, simple changes can make a world of difference.