Many working mothers experience brain fog, fatigue and emotional overwhelm without immediately understanding why. Between school runs, the emotional demands of family life and the constant pressures of work, many women begin to notice subtle changes they cannot quite explain. They feel less sharp than before, more exhausted than usual and emotionally stretched in ways that seem disproportionate to their circumstances. What makes it even more confusing is that many of them are not yet at the age they associate with menopause, so the possibility rarely crosses their minds.
Somewhere between school runs, the emotional demands of family life and the constant deadlines and pressures of work, many women begin to notice changes they cannot quite explain. They feel less sharp than before, more exhausted than usual and emotionally stretched in ways that seem disproportionate to their circumstances. What makes it even more confusing is that many of them are not yet at the age they associate with menopause, so the possibility rarely crosses their minds.
What Is Perimenopause and When Does It Begin?
Most people have heard of menopause, but far fewer understand the stage that comes before it. Perimenopause is the transition leading up to menopause, and it can begin much earlier than many women expect, often in their late thirties or early forties. It arrives at a time when careers are demanding, children still require constant care and attention, and emotional responsibilities at home are often at their highest. Women move through life carrying many roles at once. They are daughters, sisters, friends, partners, mothers, employees or employers. At precisely the time when they are expected to perform at their best, to juggle responsibilities and meet expectations at home and at work while maintaining composure, their bodies begin to shift in ways that feel unfamiliar and deeply unsettling.
How Hormonal Changes Affect Mood, Energy and Memory
Perimenopause is not simply a biological footnote to menopause. It is a gradual hormonal transition that can last anywhere from four to ten years, during which the body’s key reproductive hormones, oestrogen and progesterone begin to fluctuate in unpredictable ways. Oestrogen influences far more than fertility. It helps regulate mood, supports memory and concentration, maintains bone strength and plays a role in how the body manages energy and sleep. Progesterone works alongside it, helping to calm the nervous system, support restful sleep and regulate the menstrual cycle. When these hormones begin to rise and fall unevenly, the balance the body has relied on becomes less stable, affecting both the mind and the body.
Common Perimenopause Symptoms Women Often Dismiss
As a result, women experience symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, irritability, disrupted sleep and a heightened sense of emotional overwhelm. These changes are not imagined, nor are they simply the result of stress. Some days, exhaustion is felt long before the first cup of coffee is poured, as though the body is running on a battery that cannot quite recharge. Sleep comes in fitfully, leaving the mind foggy and patience short the following day. Names of colleagues may slip away mid-sentence, and tasks that were once second nature become unexpectedly difficult, requiring far more effort and concentration. Even simple routines at home can occasionally be forgotten. It goes beyond ordinary tiredness. It is a subtle shift that leaves women wondering whether they are less capable, less patient or somehow less themselves than they once were.
Why Perimenopause Can Be Especially Challenging for Working Mothers
For working mothers, these changes rarely occur in isolation. They unfold against a backdrop of relentless responsibility. When perimenopause enters the picture, everyday demands begin to feel unexpectedly heavy. Even moments of joy at home may be clouded by deep fatigue or a sense of emotional distance, often followed by guilt for feeling less present than they wish to be.
Perimenopause is not a weakness or a failure of resilience. It is a genuine biological transition that takes place during one of the most demanding stages of life. Despite how common this transition is, it remains largely absent from everyday conversations and workplace culture. Many women navigate it quietly, often without the language or framework to understand what is happening to them.
Why Perimenopause Remains Less Known
A Lack of Awareness
The first barrier many women face is simply not knowing that perimenopause exists. Unlike pregnancy or menopause, which receive some public attention, perimenopause is often overlooked. Much of the confusion comes from it being lumped together with menopause, as the symptoms are often very similar, so it rarely receives distinct attention in mainstream health education.
Cultural Stigma and Silence
Even when women start to notice changes in their bodies, talking about them isn’t always easy. Perimenopause, menopause and menstrual topics are often met with awkwardness or discomfort, so these conversations are rare in families and communities, let alone in the workplace, where raising the topic can feel even more intimidating.
Some may be reluctant to speak about mood swings, sleep disruption, low energy, or changes in libido for fear of embarrassment. Others may find that those around them do not know what to say or feel uneasy discussing hormones and bodily changes, so they stay silent to avoid making anyone uncomfortable. This isn’t a personal failing, it is a reflection of the way society still treats women’s health as something private or even slightly uncomfortable to talk about.
Workplaces That Don’t Account for Real Bodies
Workplaces are an even bigger blind spot when it comes to these conversations. Traditional organisational structures and performance frameworks are built on the assumption that employees operate at a steady, predictable pace. They are rarely designed to accommodate fluctuations in energy, focus, or emotional regulation, leaving women’s changing bodies and minds invisible within the professional environment.
As a result, managers may notice lapses in performance or less assertive participation in meetings, but when awareness of perimenopause is limited, these shifts are not always understood in the context of hormonal changes. Colleagues may also misunderstand symptoms such as forgetfulness, irritability, or fatigue.
Evidence shows the scale of the impact. In their 2023 survey, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that a majority of women aged 40 – 60 report menopausal symptoms affecting their work, and around one in five say their symptoms have had a substantial impact on their ability to carry out daily tasks at work. The UK government has also acknowledged in a 2022 report that menopausal symptoms can affect women’s ability to participate fully in professional life and highlighted that better awareness and supportive practices can help women maintain fulfilling careers.
The consequences are tangible. Many women reduce their hours, step back from leadership roles, or leave jobs entirely when workplace demands become difficult to manage without support. These decisions do not only affect individual careers and earning potential, they also carry wider economic consequences. The same report by the UK Government discussed that if more women were able to remain in work for longer and retain higher-paid roles, the benefits would extend beyond individuals to the wider economy through increased productivity, higher income tax receipts, and lower costs associated with long-term sickness, benefits, and healthcare.
How Perimenopause Is Affecting Women at Work
Progress has started, but more is needed. In recent years, there have been signs of progress in how perimenopause and menopause are being recognised in the workplace. Governments, policymakers and advocacy groups have begun to acknowledge that these life stages deserve greater attention. The UK government convened an independent taskforce to examine how workplaces can better support women experiencing menopause and to develop recommendations for policy and organisational change. These discussions signal an important shift from treating the issue as a private matter to recognising it as a broader social and economic concern.
Some companies and organisations have also started introducing practical measures. Flexible working arrangements, additional wellbeing leave, and informal provisions such as duvet days are slowly becoming more common. These steps may seem small, but they represent an important change in attitude. Acknowledging the issue is often the first step towards meaningful support.
However, these efforts are still uneven in reach and effectiveness. Policies may exist on paper, but lived experience depends heavily on organisational culture, management understanding and access to good healthcare. Workplaces with limited resources often struggle to implement meaningful change.
Cultural attitudes also take time to change. Stigma surrounding women’s health, ageing and hormonal changes has developed over generations, and it cannot disappear overnight. Even where policies are in place, many women still hesitate to raise their experiences openly if they are unsure how their concerns will be received. The direction of change is encouraging, but sustained effort is still required.
What Can We Do To Help
Overcoming these barriers requires action on multiple fronts. Education, workplace support and medical access all play an important role.
Education and Awareness
Awareness must grow not only among women themselves, but also among families and workplaces. Understanding what perimenopause is and what it is not can change the environment women live and work in. Education for families, friends, managers and colleagues builds empathy and reduces judgement. When knowledge, empathy and practical support come together, the experience of perimenopause becomes far less isolating and far more manageable.
Workplace Accommodations
Employers can take concrete steps to support women, including workplace adjustments such as flexible hours, rest breaks, changes to uniforms or workspaces (for example, desk fans or access to cooler environments), and open discussions about health needs. In some cases, allowing temporary adjustments such as lighter workloads during particularly difficult periods, the option to work from home, or more flexibility around meeting schedules can make a meaningful difference. Even simple considerations, such as providing quiet spaces for short breaks or recognising that concentration and energy levels may fluctuate, can help women continue performing their roles with confidence without fear of negative judgement.
Medical Support and Access
Women should know that they do not have to endure symptoms in silence. There are straightforward medical ways to understand what is happening in the body and to manage the changes that come with perimenopause. A consultation with a healthcare professional, particularly a hormone specialist can often begin with a simple discussion of symptoms and, where appropriate, blood tests to check hormone levels and rule out other conditions that may cause similar symptoms.
With a clearer picture of what the body is experiencing, the medical professional will then recommend a range of treatment and management options. These may include hormone-based therapies, lifestyle adjustments, nutritional guidance and other approaches that help stabilise mood, improve sleep and restore energy levels. Menopausal care and hormonal wellness treatments are now available in many clinics across the UK, including at Therapy House in Lytham St. Annes.
Celebrating Strength and Resilience
Women are the backbones of society, taking on multiple roles and making vital contributions to families, communities, and the economy at large. Working mothers, in particular, carry immense responsibility every day, balancing careers, households, and the wellbeing of their families. While we cannot shoulder every burden they bear, the least we can do as a society is to make that load more manageable.
Some of the challenges they face, such as the hormonal changes of perimenopause and menopause, are not chosen but unavoidable. By offering understanding, words of encouragement, practical support in workplaces and homes and access to appropriate medical guidance, we can help women navigate these transitions with confidence and dignity.
Every day, it is worth recognising not just what mothers give to others, but the courage, resilience, and strength they demonstrate every day. By listening, validating, and providing support, we can turn what is often a private struggle into a shared journey of empowerment, showing that women do not just carry responsibilities, they shape the world around them.
