This guide outlines the main menopause early symptoms, how to deal with them, and what it means for working women.
Yes, it’s not something we welcome. But menopause comes to us all, and it can have some unconsidered impacts on your career and business. Your client is angry because perhaps you missed something in their order. Or your boss reprimands you for a mistake made on your part at work due to absence of mind or sheer forgetfulness. And you tend to take it to heart.
Random mood fluctuations, absent-mindedness and forgetfulness and hot flushes are some of the common menopause early symptoms – and it comes to us all, but how you manage and control them in your professional life is what matters. A high level of emotional intelligence is required in these circumstances to steer through the tumultuous times and not be overwhelmed with work pressure having the reassurance that it will all work out in your favor with the right mindset.
Menopause early symptoms to watch out for
All the eggs that a woman will produce throughout her life originate in the follicles of the ovaries, already present at birth. When a woman is born, she has an average of 1 to 2 million of these follicles, but with each menstrual cycle, she loses part of these cells, so much so that in her first menstruation she has about 400,000 follicles, a much smaller number than those present in the early stages of life .
When the number of follicles runs out, the woman no longer produces eggs, which leads to a hormonal drop and the end of the reproductive phase. This is because in the formation of eggs, the follicles are primarily responsible for the production of hormones. With the end of this process, they decrease dramatically. However, before menopause, the body gives hints with menopause early symptoms that it might be close. This phase that precedes a woman’s last menstrual period is known as the climacteric.
Climacteric x Menopause – the menopause early symptoms
All women must go through menopause, but it is not always easy to identify that this time is near. To better understand this phase, it is important to clarify that menopause corresponds to the last menstrual period of a woman and sets in after the definitive end of menstrual periods.
Before the end of this stage, the moment is called climacteric, that is, it is characterized by the physiological transition of menopause early symptoms that separates the reproductive and non-reproductive phases of women. Thus, the climacteric encompasses this entire transition from the productive to the non-productive period, going until the last menstruation. During this time (which can take years) the woman begins to feel changes in her body, indicating the arrival of menopause.
1. Irregular menstruation
The main menopause early symptoms that defines the approach of menopause is irregularity in menstruation. It can happen that you don’t menstruate in a month, for months or twice in the same month. This is because the low hormone prevents the uterus from preparing regularly for a possible pregnancy, a fact that directly interferes with menstruation. However, there are exceptions and some women have a regular cycle until menopause.
2. Heat flushes
This is one of the menopause early symptoms most reported by women. The waves appear unexpectedly and cause hot flashes, especially reaching the upper torso, neck and face. Sometimes the skin on the face becomes red and the woman starts to sweat excessively due to the intensity of the heat. The sensation usually lasts between half and five minutes and can often occur for more than a year, in some women, for more than five years.
3. Mood swings
At this stage, some sudden mood swings can also be observed as menopause early symptoms. The reason is that the hormones responsible for the functioning of the central nervous system are exactly estrogen and progesterone, which is low during menopause. Feeling irritable, melancholy, anxious and crying are other symptoms that can manifest in this phase.
4. Urogenital changes
There are several urogenital changes in women as menopause early symptoms, these include difficulty in emptying the bladder, urinary incontinence and infections that frequently affect the bladder and urethra. In addition, she may experience decreased libido, vaginal dryness, and pain during intercourse.
5. Sleep changes
Estrogen is also related to a woman’s sleep regulation. Therefore, it is possible that she finds it difficult to sleep as before. Heat waves also interfere, as they can occur at night and interfere with rest. If the woman realizes that her sleep is not the same, it is important to identify if it is one of the menopause early symptoms in her case try to take care of the problem, since if the occasional insomnia persists, it can become chronic.
Treatment for menopause early symptoms
To alleviate menopause early symptoms, the woman may turn to hormone replacement therapy. But the indication must be made by a doctor, who will evaluate the patient, taking into account the changes in behavior, the moment in which she is in life, among other factors.
A healthy routine that includes good nutrition, regular physical activity , as well as habits of not smoking and avoiding alcohol consumption can also help to minimize uncomfortable symptoms.
The struggle of career-oriented women during menopause
As you hit your 40’s you can feel the internal bodily changes within you as your hormones start to wreak havoc inside you, pushing you into embarrassing situations and sudden outburst of emotions. If you have a demanding job as a part of your life the stress level can go sky-high and present you with the challenge of your life that is how to manage your professional and personal life. Your hormones are not under your control and they can involuntarily make you feel pathetic and just the opposite of what you should be feeling at work. You seem to be energy-deprived and may also face self-confidence issues.
A 2011 study has shown that almost 50% of all women at work who are going through the menopausal stage have serious issues with regards to work but two-thirds out of them feel reluctant to confess that. This is because this is taken as a ‘silent issue’ by most management and the career aspirations and corporate life and experience of women is not comprehensively understood by the upper level management.
Key areas of concern
What concerns older women is their health and wealth-being that need to be taken care of at all cost so that they do not result in a burnout due to undue pressure. All women do not undergo the same changes and experience different signs when undergoing the menopausal stage. The real trick lies behind your perception, beliefs and reaction towards menopause at work. Certain organizational factors also aggravate what the women feel at the workplace regarding menopause. Furthermore, certain work-related factors that are used as parameters to judge the productivity and output of an individual include employee engagement at work, level of job-satisfaction, commitments towards the organization and employee turnover rate. Based upon these markers of judgment the actual and desired level of outcome is compared to get a clear view of the influence of menopause on work performance.
What the woman undergoes
Loss of focus and concentration, memory loss and other menopausal signs when aggravated can often be confused with symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer’s and may put the aged women to further distress.
Low cortisol levels and micronutrient deficiencies lead to fatigue. Adrenal fatigue follows and you become a patient of anxiety accompanied by a foggy mind and loss of memory. Your sex drive seems to be completely lost at times and despite consistent efforts to control your calorie intake your hormones interfere unnecessarily and prevent you from losing weight.
You may of course consider hormone replacement therapy (HRT) if you feel that your memory issues are worsening with time and you need to pay serious attention now. But the key thing is to be aware of the hurdles and to start preparing to deal with them so they won’t have an impact on your career or business.
