The culture we live in has shamed and stigmatised women’s reproductive health for years. In some cultures, menstruating women were considered unclean. Over time, this menstrual shame became ingrained in our religious beliefs, schools, workplaces, and popular media. However, views are changing, and we can see awareness of menstruation rising. But what about menopause? Or, more importantly, perimenopause? The real shock is how perimenopause remains such a mystery. Let us also explore the inverse relationship between productivity and perimenopause.
Anyone who has ovaries knows they will naturally experience menstrual bleeding and eventually go through menopause (the end of menstrual cycles). But, sadly, many women have no clue about perimenopause, the transitional stage before menopause. This phase can drag on for years. It can bring a mix of unpleasant symptoms in the months and years leading up to menopause. We have spent years dismissing this natural process. So, it is no wonder we are still in the dark about it.
Productivity and perimenopause: The overlooked journey to menopause
A Clue survey found 70% of women and people with menstrual cycles don’t know what perimenopause is. Despite perimenopause typically starting in a woman’s early 40s, 84% of respondents aged 35-45 reported receiving no information from their healthcare providers about this phase. It leaves many feeling utterly clueless when faced with the physical and mental changes it brings. The stigma surrounding menopause affects women’s well-being and quality of life. Moreover, it also jeopardises their long-term health.
70% of families do not openly discuss perimenopause. Society’s obsession with women’s fertility has led to the misconception that once women lose this ability, they lose their value. This idea makes menopause and perimenopause topics people don’t want to talk about. But perimenopause isn’t a sickness. It’s just a natural part of life that happens to lots of women, trans, or non-binary people.
The symptoms nobody talks about
The secrecy surrounding women’s intimate bodily functions contributes significantly to the lack of public knowledge about women’s health during perimenopause. This reluctance to openly address women’s health issues leads to a lack of awareness about symptoms, treatments, and management options related to perimenopause. As a result, many women may not recognise or understand the changes their bodies are experiencing.
Some of the common signs of approaching menopause, like night sweats and hot flashes, are well known. But many people aren’t aware of more severe symptoms, such as brain fog, memory issues, anxiety, and depression. Perimenopause can bring such intense brain fog that you might forget what you were saying in the middle of a sentence. But are we talking enough about these issues? No.
Productivity and perimenopause: The doctor’s thoughts
Dr Lila Nachtigall, a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at N.Y.U. Grossman School of Medicine, with 50 years of experience treating perimenopausal women, shared a personal story. She said that even though she and her mother lived in the same house when her mother was going through perimenopause and experiencing severe symptoms like hot flashes, they never discussed it. “That was part of the taboo. You were supposed to suffer in silence.”
This secrecy is not limited to perimenopause alone. It extends to various other aspects of women’s health, such as pregnancy, PCOS, childbirth, and breastfeeding, which are often kept private or discussed in hushed tones.
The misdiagnosis of Perimenopause
Oprah Winfrey has shared that during her perimenopause stage, she experienced heart palpitations and was misdiagnosed. That leads to her being wrongly put on heart medication. At the age of 48, Oprah Winfrey began experiencing poor sleep and intense heart palpitations. Concerned, she consulted five doctors, including a cardiologist who conducted an angiogram. None of the doctors mentioned perimenopause or menopause as a potential cause, even though up to 40% of women may experience palpitations as a symptom during this phase.
Those going through perimenopause often face underlying anxiety, nervousness, and what can feel like a menopausal meltdown. That is because their sleep patterns become erratic, they experience hot flashes, they wake up drenched in sweat, and they struggle with brain fog. With so much happening at once, it becomes overwhelming to handle. Unfortunately, doctors may diagnose it simply as a hormonal problem or prescribe medications for anxiety without fully understanding the complexities of perimenopause.
One reason perimenopause is often misdiagnosed is the lack of awareness about its symptoms and the condition itself. Unlike most conditions with definitive blood tests, perimenopause lacks a specific diagnostic test. Many healthcare providers are not trained to recognise these symptoms, and as a society, we rarely discuss this stage of life openly. Even if a woman expresses concerns about perimenopause, she may be dismissed with remarks like “You’re too young to be going through menopause.”
Our conversation with working women
Speaking to our co-founder, Arunima Bhattacharya, she says,” I have lost 8 months of my life not knowing what perimenopause is. In 2020, during the COVID-induced lockdown, we started ‘The Big Pitchr’’ while I was juggling other consulting projects, working from home, housework, managing a child and many other anxieties that everyone went through. However, I also was perennially exhausted, breaking into a sweat, getting extremely weepy and having irregular menstrual cycles, which would last sometimes for 15-20 days. Thankfully, an ex-colleague, Sonia, quit a corporate career to teach yoga. Simple practices and insights from her helped me to come to terms with my new body, strange hormonal activities that go inside the body and how it affects the mind. Prior knowledge would have kept me prepared, and I would taken steps that would have not hampered productivity.”
Tandrima Ray Bhattacharya, a social sector leader, shares similar responses. “ I used to go through emotional highs and lows. It is after reading about perim.. That I could be more aware of my emotional upheavals. The more aware I was I could be more in control and had a balanced approach at work and personal life.”
The final thoughts
If you are a woman, trans, or non-binary employee dealing with perimenopause, chances are your workplace lacks supportive policies to help you navigate this phase confidently. Many of us only think about hormones in terms of fertility. So, when perimenopause hits, it can bring feelings of anxiety, confusion, and loneliness. Meanwhile, colleagues might brush off these legitimate concerns as mere mood swings. The severe symptoms of perimenopause, combined with a lack of workplace support, are seriously affecting women’s careers. Moreover, it is forcing many to take time off or even leave their jobs altogether.
In a UK-based survey, 99% of respondents said their perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms had a significant impact on their careers. About 59% had taken time off work due to symptoms, including reduced efficiency (45%), poor work quality (26%), and trouble concentrating (7%). Shockingly, half of those who took more than eight weeks off work ended up resigning or retiring early. Because perimenopause can significantly affect careers, workplaces must offer support and information that meet their specific needs, regardless of their background or personal characteristics.
As a society, we need to have more discussions on productivity and perimenopause and work towards being more inclusive.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are based on the writer’s insights, supported by data and resources available both online and offline, as applicable. Changeincontent.com is committed to promoting inclusivity across all forms of content, which we define broadly to include media, policies, law, and history—encompassing all elements that influence the lives of women and gender-queer individuals. Our goal is to promote understanding and advocate for comprehensive inclusivity.
