August 1, 2025|Tania Mullan

LIFE, WORK & RELATIONSHIPS

Perimenopause at Work

Brain fog, confidence, workplace support and why your career is not over. One blank moment is not a complete measure of your intelligence or professional value.

SOMA Wellness Co. · August 2025 · 12 min read

Quick Answer: Can perimenopause affect how you function at work?

Yes. Broken sleep, hot flushes, fatigue, mood changes and word-finding problems can make work harder because work expects performance on schedule and in public.

That does not erase your intelligence or professional value. Medical care, external systems and practical adjustments can help.

At a mosaic class, I sat with midlife women from corporate, community, professional and practical roles. Different work. The same sentence:

"I know I'm still capable. I just don't feel like I can prove it the way I used to."

That was the wound underneath the stories. Not only the symptoms, but the fear that one blank moment might become evidence that they were no longer sharp.

You know the material. You have done this job for years. Then you are halfway through a sentence and the word that was there a second ago has vanished, while everyone waits for you to return to the building.

The worst part is often the story that arrives afterwards: I look incompetent. They can see it. Maybe I am not up to this anymore.

Why work makes perimenopause feel so exposing

Perimenopause symptoms are difficult at home. At work, they become public.

A 3 a.m. wake-up becomes something else when you have to lead an 8:30 meeting while your brain is running on a teaspoon of sleep and a protein bar found at the bottom of your bag.

A hot flush can feel mortifying under office lighting, in a sealed room, wearing corporate fabric designed by someone who clearly had no glands.

Brain fog is frightening when you forget a familiar login, lose the point halfway through a presentation or cannot retrieve a word while colleagues watch you try.

Brain fog at work can overlap with disrupted sleep, burnout, ADHD, medication effects and other medical causes. If you are wondering whether this is brain fog, burnout, ADHD or dementia, What's Going On With My Brain? goes deeper into the differences and the red flags.

The competence wound

Women are not only dealing with symptoms. They are dealing with how those symptoms may be interpreted.

A man forgets a name and he is busy. A midlife woman blanks in a meeting and may immediately wonder whether everyone still thinks she is capable.

Sometimes nobody else has judged her. Sometimes ageism or a male-dominated culture makes the fear very real. Either way, the confidence injury can become larger than the lapse.

Experience has not disappeared. You may read a room faster, see patterns others miss and know which meeting should have been an email before anyone says alignment. Wisdom, unfortunately, does not always stop a brain from refusing to retrieve "spreadsheet" and offering "the boxy number thing" instead.

"The brain fog I would get on the set of 'Hot in Cleveland' — trying to like memorize lines." — Valerie Bertinelli, actor, describing menopause on The Drew Barrymore Show, 2024 [9]

She said many of the show's bloopers came from that brain fog. The symptom disrupted access to the lines; it did not erase the skill behind them.

What the workplace evidence actually says

Brain fog is common.

Australian Public Service Commission guidance lists sleep problems, fatigue, brain fog, mood symptoms and pain among issues that may affect work. It recognises menopause as a workplace issue. [1]

In the 2025 Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, 37.9% of women aged 46 to 51 were affected by at least one measured symptom. Six per cent said symptoms often affected paid work; 8% had taken one to three sick days, 3% more than three days and 1% had left paid work because of symptoms. [2] The case for support is strong.

What the evidence tells us: up to 80% of women attending private menopause clinics report cognitive symptoms

Word-finding problems, forgetfulness, mental slowing and difficulty concentrating are not fringe symptoms. The 2026 npj Women's Health study notes rates as high as 80% among women attending private clinics. The message is clear: you are far from alone. [4]
In the same large community study, peri- and postmenopausal women reported more brain fog, while overall cognitive task performance differed only minimally between groups. [4]
At the Australian Senate inquiry, women strongly valued flexibility, supportive managers and practical changes to work patterns, clothing and temperature. [3]

What may be happening in your work brain

Several things can be happening at once.

Hormonal change: Oestrogen fluctuations can affect signalling and brain regions involved in attention, memory, emotion and word retrieval. A familiar word can disappear, even when the knowledge is still there. [4][5][6][7]

A tired or overloaded brain: Broken sleep, hot flushes, pain, medication effects, low iron or thyroid problems, ADHD and chronic illness can all reduce concentration. Perimenopause may arrive on top of these and make an already loaded system harder to compensate for. [7]

A nervous system under pressure: After one frightening blank, fear of the next one becomes a second load. Part of your attention is on the meeting; part is watching for failure. Acute stress can interfere with controlled retrieval and flexible thinking. Trauma-related hyperarousal can add to that load for some women. [8][10]

This is why "it's just hormones" is not a sufficient assessment. New, progressive or function-limiting symptoms still deserve consideration and support.

Authority voice — most women remain within normal cognitive limits. "When memory declines occur, performance levels remain within normal limits for all but a very small number of women." — Professor Pauline M. Maki and Dr Nicole G. Jaff, Menopause, 2024. [6]

A Peek Behind the Curtain: When I thought I was watching my intelligence disappear

"I knew the work. Then the microphone reached me and everything disappeared…"

In my late 40s, I was the regional coordinator of a North Brisbane not-for-profit program that had supported close to 500 families. I had run it for about five years, largely on my own, while studying counselling.

I knew the workshops, reporting, people and work. Then I started losing access to things I knew.

If I forgot to enter a meeting into my calendar, it did not exist in my mind. I lived with the constant feeling that I had forgotten something important.

At conferences, I would be handed the microphone and whatever I was about to say would be completely gone. No coming back. No retrieval.

It stole my confidence. My workplace was supportive, but I stopped putting myself forward because I no longer trusted what my brain might do in public. I often wondered whether it was the end of being an intelligent woman.

Now I am learning e-commerce and building a brand and community, using technology I once avoided — learning skills I once considered beyond me.

My capacity did not vanish. But I did need support and scaffolding while things were particularly bumpy. Sometimes I still do. And that's okay.

There seems to be increasing awareness of this valid need in the workplace. If your workplace isn't on board yet, you may need to consider what supports you need, and find ways to implement them for yourself. A portable fan, dot-point notes on your phone (no longer relying on your frontal lobe for important information), a 5-min breathwork moment in the loo before entering a meeting. Small support practices can make a difference.

With warmth, Tarnia Mullan Founder, SOMA Wellness Co.

What might help at work, starting this week

Some of this is personal strategy. Some belongs to medical care or the workplace. The aim is to stop asking your brain to perform without support.

External systems are good executive-function design, not dumbing yourself down. Use a password manager. Put meetings straight into the calendar. Keep one "meeting brain" note with names, decisions and next steps. Ask for agendas and send short summaries. Keep a visible top three for the day, not 28 priorities pretending to be a list. External systems are scaffolding, not evidence that you are failing.

You do not have to perform perfect recall every second to remain credible. Practise a few sentences: "Let me pause and come back to that." "Give me one moment. I am going to gather my thread." Taking a moment to gather your thread is professional, not embarrassing.

Once you fear blanking, the meeting can start to feel like a threat test. That vigilance uses attention and working memory you need to speak clearly. The aim is to reduce pressure and give your brain fewer things to hold at once. [10]

Before an important meeting, put your opening sentence, three key points and essential names or figures into one phone note. Take it somewhere quiet to read. Press both feet down, release your jaw, drop your shoulders and take three gentle breaths.

One simple thing to try today — before the meeting, use the 90-second nervous-system reset. Scaffold: open the note with your first sentence, three key points and the names or numbers that matter. Settle: feel both feet, drop your shoulders and take three unforced breaths with a slightly longer exhale. This can reduce arousal; it is not a memory treatment. [11] Start: read your first sentence once so you know exactly where to begin. If a word disappears, say, "The word has gone, but the point is…" and continue. When accuracy matters, say, "I'll confirm the detail after the meeting."

When to talk to your manager, HR or your union

You do not have to disclose every private detail of your body to ask for practical support.

The decision depends on your role, workplace culture and safety. Start with the effect on work and the specific adjustment that may help.

Possible requests include a later start after severe sleep disruption, fewer back-to-back meetings, written agendas, temporary work-from-home days, cooler spaces, breathable uniforms or short breaks during long shifts.

Frontline roles may need different solutions from office work. The support must fit the actual job.

Workplace conversation script — keep it practical, keep it specific. "I am experiencing perimenopause symptoms that are affecting sleep, temperature regulation and concentration at times. I remain committed to doing my role well. Could we trial [specific adjustment] until [date] and then review it?" You do not have to apologise for having a human body at work.

A clear word about workplace rights

Australia does not have one universal national entitlement to menopause leave. Some employers and agreements provide reproductive-health leave, but the details vary.

Under the National Employment Standards, certain Australian employees can formally request flexible work after 12 months with the same employer. Eligibility includes being 55 or older, having disability, being pregnant, being a carer or caring for a school-aged child. Menopause is not a separate category, although flexibility can still be negotiated and workplace policies may provide more. [12]

In New Zealand, employees can request flexible work from their first day for any reason. Employers must consider the request in good faith and respond in writing within one month. [14]

If disability or discrimination may be involved, seek individual advice from your union, Fair Work, Employment New Zealand or the relevant human-rights body. [13][14]

Maybe the job needs support. Maybe the job needs changing.

Both of these can be true.

Symptoms can make a good job feel harder for a while, and support may help you stay in it. Perimenopause can also expose a role, workload or culture that has been costing too much for too long.

Not everyone can change careers. Mortgages, rent, caring responsibilities, disability and insecure work are real. Where options exist, ask whether the work still uses your wisdom or only drains your capacity.

Sometimes the deeper question is not only "Can I still do this?" but "Who am I becoming now — and does this role still align with me?" That is an identity question as much as a work question.

The workday starts the night before

For many women, work support begins the night before.

Broken sleep reduces the capacity available for attention, memory and patience the next day. It does not explain every cognitive symptom, but it is a practical place to look. The full day-night loop is unpacked in Exhausted at 3 p.m., Yet Wide Awake at 3 a.m.

Where SOMA fits

SOMA does not treat brain fog, change workplace law or replace medical care. It belongs in the support layer around the day. Why the Nervous System? explains the wider SOMA approach: hormones matter, but so do sleep, stress load, sensory strain and recovery.

A repeatable morning ritual can create a steadier transition into demand, while an evening boundary can mark where work ends. If that kind of anchor feels useful, → Explore Vitalitea Daylight as a caffeine-free botanical support for brain fog and mood to help keep your days steadier.

You still belong in the room

You may need notes, stronger systems, medical review, cooling support or a different way of preparing for the microphone. That might include deciding the old way of working is over.

None of those choices erases your experience, intelligence or contribution. You still carry experience, judgement, perspective, humour and pattern recognition.

A missing word is frustrating, but it is not a complete measure of your value. The workplace benefits when it knows how to keep that value in the room.

Australian & New Zealand support — practical places to go next. Choose the resource that matches the question you are trying to solve. You do not need to open all of them.

Australian Government information for workplaces: workplace guidance and the Menopause Information Pack for Organisations.
Jean Hailes for Women's Health: clear Australian menopause information and care guidance.
Australasian Menopause Society practitioner directory: health professionals with an interest in midlife and menopause care across Australia and New Zealand.
Fair Work Ombudsman: Australian flexible-work rules and request requirements.
Australian Human Rights Commission: information about disability discrimination and workplace adjustments.
Employment New Zealand: the New Zealand flexible-work request process.
Healthify New Zealand: trusted Aotearoa New Zealand menopause information.
Mental-health support: Beyond Blue in Australia (1300 22 4636), or 1737 in New Zealand (free call or text 1737).

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