How to manage menopause symptoms at work

But even if your company is not that forward thinking, if you are suffering menopausal symptoms, there are certainly some steps you can take.

Says Greer, “I tell people the best thing you can do is the preemptive strike – let people know ahead of time that if you are more short-tempered or anxious than usual, if you are having some forgetfulness or problems with word retrieval—not remembering names, for example—telling them you are having menopausal symptoms will allow them to not take it personally. “We have to normalize what is, let’s face it, the most normal bodily change in the world.”

More times than not, you will find out you’re not alone. “I remember sitting in a business meeting having a hot flash, and people asking me if I was ok,” recalls Randi Weber Fine, now a certified health coach. But then Weber Fine caught the eye of her boss, who was smiling. “She was having one too.”

Try to remember that no two women are the same. "It’s as if we all go shopping at the perimenopausal store, but each woman picks up a different symptom and puts it in her basket," says Kourtney Sims, M.D., a board-certified integrative gynecologist based in Houston, TX, certified member of the North American Menopause Society, and Phenology’s Chief Medical Advisor. "Plus, your menopause journey is shaped by many highly personal factors: Lifestyle, sleep, stress, genetics, toxic load, and nutrition all play a role." This all means that your symptom management will be highly personal to you, too.

Making lifestyle changes and improvements can help with symptoms. For example, hot flashes can be exponentially worse for women with unhealthy BMIs. Taking a holistic approach to your wellness and consuming foods and supplements that support your menopause transition is best, says Dr. Kourtney.

"Consume foods or supplements that contain phytoestrogens such as genistein, an isoflavone found in plants such as alfalfa, soy, or red clover, that gently stimulates your body’s estrogen receptors, helping to alleviate effects of hot flashes," she says. To try: Phenology Morning+Evening Gummies, which include a patent-pending combo of saffron extract and genistein to soothe symptoms of menopause while enhancing health.

For more in-the-moment relief—like when you're about to head into a meeting and suddenly can't remember what it's about—try a rescue product like Lucid Lift Clarity Mints. Formulated with B vitamins and L-theanine, these mints combat brain fog and keep you feeling sharp with ingredients that alleviate mental fatigue and exhaustion brought on by menopause.