Menopause is a topic we just don’t talk about enough. The issue of menopause in the workplace is even more silent.

But why?

As more women choose to stay in the workplace, even into their menopausal years, it is crucial to address the challenges they face. Working women often report greater difficulty managing symptoms, leading to feelings of isolation, misunderstanding, and even shame.

Did you know that by 2030, approximately 1.3 billion women worldwide will experience menopause? This looming demographic shift has prompted experts like Joanna Gonsalves, executive menopause coach, to sound the alarm: Companies need to prioritize menopause management to retain top talent and create a more inclusive workplace. According to her, employers have a legal and moral obligation to support the well-being of their employees, including during menopause.

“I worked at a major telecommunications company for over a decade and menopause was never mentioned,” she declares. “I worked in a financial institution for two years; it was not mentioned there either. I currently work in the retail industry and menopause is still not mentioned.”

Noticing the lack of research and support for menopausal women in the Caribbean, Gonsalves, who holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Business Administration, took matters into her own hands earlier this year and became a menopause coach. Investing in menopause support, she says, can even bring significant financial benefits to employers by increasing productivity while reducing stress and encouraging innovation.

“I would love to see menopause management in every workplace in the Caribbean,” says Gonsalves, whose role is to guide companies, executive teams and HR practitioners to create menopause guidelines and policies for the office. “Many companies have a health and wellness aspect to their Employee Assistance Program but don’t include menopause management; my goal is to change that.”

Gonsalves herself has first-hand experience with the challenges of menopause. She began experiencing severe brain fog and fatigue a year ago with the onset of perimenopausal symptoms.

“Many people don’t realize that menopausal symptoms can start years before periods stop,” explains the 42-year-old. To combat these challenges, she adopted strategies such as reading, puzzles and short walks. As a working mother, Gonsalves understands the delicate balance of family and career, especially during menopause—as well as having a strong support system.

“My kid has energy levels that I’ve only seen in pro athletes,” she jokes. “My sister and niece help me get him to play with cousins ​​and pick him up from school when I have late meetings at the office. His father also takes him outdoors so he can hang out and have fun. There are still days of frustration, but there are far fewer than before.”

Menopause should be everyone’s business.

“Men should be included in the conversation,” Gonsalves points out. “In many cases, they don’t know how to help their spouse/partner through this transition. There’s a reason more and more women are filing for divorce and separating in their 40s and 50s. They simply cannot, and in some cases will not, deal with one more problem.”

Lamenting that studies on menopause and its effects in the workplace are virtually non-existent from a Caribbean perspective, she says, “we need to ascertain whether Caribbean diets and lifestyle factors influence menopause symptoms.”

She believes that medical interventions such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can be of great help to women going through the worst symptoms of menopause. “However, HRT may not be suitable for women with a family history of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. We need to understand the interactions between treatments for these diseases and HRT formulas. In general, there is little information,” she concludes.

Gonsalves shares the following tips for managing menopause symptoms at work

● Be gentle and patient with yourself. Understand that most women go through some form of menopause symptoms.

● Speak up. Advocate for yourself. If you need time away from the office, take that time.

● Talk to your HR department about the possibility of working from home (hybrid).

● Have the right nutritious foods and teas to help you through the day.

● Dress appropriately. A suit with a jacket can help. Take the jacket off when you feel cold and put it on when you feel cold. Go with a blanket to help if needed. Most offices are centrally air-conditioned, so it’s a challenge for women who experience hot flashes or colds to manage their environment.

● Keep a diary of when you have a menopausal symptom at work. Was there a trigger? Once you become self-aware and learn what your trigger is, you can now work on managing it.