Guest Articles

Can you imagine anxiety to the point of breathlessness?

Hot sweats, memory loss, panic attacks, sleepless nights. A blank mind where once there was clarity. 

If you’re navigating perimenopause or menopause, you won’t have to imagine it as these symptoms will sound and feel all too familiar.

For me, they arrived out of the blue, unannounced, while I was juggling motherhood and a demanding full-time job. I’d drive to work, unable to explain the sudden waves of anxiety I felt on the road, the aching body, frozen shoulder, the itchy scalp, or the terrifying memory lapses in the middle of an important presentation. I genuinely believed I was experiencing early-onset dementia.

I was a top performer. But suddenly, I was told I was underperforming. I was mortified. There was no support, no conversation, no recognition of what I was going through. I didn’t even think to ask for help, because menopause wasn’t something we spoke about. I felt ashamed. I felt invisible. And eventually, I left the company at probably the lowest point in my career.

If only I had known.

If only my workplace had known.

This isn’t just my story. It’s the story of millions of women. In the UAE alone, 1 in 3 women have considered leaving, or have already left, their jobs due to menopause-related symptoms. 80% of managers in the UAE don’t feel qualified to manage perimenopausal or menopausal women. That’s not just a personal loss. It’s a loss of talent, leadership, and experience across every industry.

And yet, the solution is so simple.

Think about how workplaces respond to pregnancy, another a natural life stage in a woman’s life. HR teams leap into action: workplace assessments, flexible hours, time off for scans, remote work options, maternity and paternity leave. It’s thoughtful. It’s structured. It’s supportive.

Now fast-forward 15 years. That same woman enters another natural life stage: menopause. But this time, there’s silence. Embarrassment. At best, a joke. At worst, no support at all.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Workplaces can and should develop menopause-inclusive policies. These could include:

• Awareness training for managers and teams to support
• Open conversations that normalize this life stage
• Options for flexible working hours during symptom flare-ups, and temperature regulation and access to rest spaces

These small changes can make a profound difference. They can help women stay, thrive, and lead just as they always have.

Today, I’m proud to be championing this change through the GCC Menopause Hub. I’ve found a way to turn my experience into advocacy, and I’m calling on organisations to join us.

Come and be part of the GCC Menopause Summit on 23rd October  at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library in Dubai. You will find specialist speakers, industry leaders, support and education where we can create a positive change and rewrite the workplace story for women in midlife. 

I hope to see you there. 

Thank you,

Maureen

Author: Maureen Bannerman, Co-Founder of The GCC Menopause Hub