Menopause, Cognition, and Mood in the Workplace - World Menopause Day 2022
World Menopause Day is here, and this year’s theme is ‘cognition and mood’. This umbrella term covers many menopause symptoms, including:
-Anxiety
-Emotional changes
-Mood swings
-Fatigue
-Depression
-Irritability
-Sleep disorder
-Brain fog
-Memory lapse
-Difficulty concentrating
-Low mood
Each of these symptoms can severely affect the people experiencing them, especially at work - something that our client surveys reflect time and time again.
From our workshops and surveys, we see four main cognitive/mood-related symptoms reported by clients as their most severe symptoms which impact their work-life the most. These are Brain fog, Memory issues, Fatigue, and Anxiety.
Brain fog
A recent survey conducted by The Fawcett Society found that 75% of people who are menopausal suffer from brain fog. Brain fog occurs due to the drip in hormones that keep brain function in working order, and replacing those hormones with HRT if you’re able to can help. Organisations can help employees experiencing brain fog by being understanding about how it affects people, and by creating reasonable adjustments such as allowing flexible working and encouraging regular breaks.
Memory
During menopause, we experience a decrease in estradiol - the primary form of estrogen that works in the brain to control memory regulation and performance. Many of the women we work with have described their memory issues as embarrassing, and frustrating, especially in situations where they have forgotten someone's name or struggled to find the right word during a conversation.
Memory loss can negatively impact women at work in a number of ways such as reduced productivity, difficulty problem solving, forgetting meetings or tasks, and finding it difficult to switch between tasks. Reasonable adjustments for memory loss may include things such as;
- Changing the work schedule for the individual suffering
- Restructuring particular duties or tasks
- Extending deadlines
Above all, employers should have open discussions with the individual to discuss options on how they can help them specifically, as everyone is different.
Fatigue
Estrogen and progesterone are two of the hormones that are involved in regulating energy within our body, and changes in these hormone levels during menopause can make us feel exhausted and fatigued. Unlike general tiredness, fatigue is not alleviated by sleep. Fatigue can result in:
-Slower Reactions
- Lack of attention
- Memory lapses
- Reduced ability to process information
-Absent-mindedness
-Decreased awareness
Fatigue is frustrating and can make work very difficult for many. Reasonable adjustments may include
-Flexible working patterns
-Reduced hours/ workload
-Working from home
-Frequent breaks
Other adjustments may include changes to the workplace environment (as the environment may worsen fatigue symptoms) such as temperature, lack of natural sunlight, poor lighting, and noise levels.
Anxiety
The hormone changes during menopause can impact your mental health, and could possibly cause a relapse, or a change to your mental health if you have a pre-existing mental health condition. Anxiety and depression are two of the highest reported mental health related symptoms of menopause.
So, what does this mean for the workplace?
Organisations should promote good mental health, as well as provide support for employees, as the workplace culture and the extent of awareness and training around both mental health and menopause affect whether open, supportive conversations can take place. It's important that managers have the knowledge and the confidence to signpost team members to expert sources of support, whilst also promoting education of the workforce about mental health, and menopause, to help to reduce the stigma and replace myths with facts. How a colleague looks on the outside may be different to how they’re feeling inside!
How does your organisation support cognitive and mood related symptoms of menopause?
Get in touch with the Talking Menopause team for more information on menopause in the workplace, and how we can help you become a Menopause confident organisation