SWEATS & BRAIN FOG
How I managed MENOPAUSE at work. By Dawn Coker, CEO of Access2Funding When Dawn Coker was thrust into early menopause at the age of 37 following a hysterectomy, her whole life turned upside down. Now, aged 58, she is dedicated to supporting women in business and retaining female talent by ensuring others don’t go through what she did whilst at work. Around 1% of women experience menopause before the age of 40, either naturally or because of a medical procedure or treatment, known as surgical menopause. Dawn was one of these women, when at 35 years old she underwent a hysterectomy, followed by an oophorectomy at 37, after which she was suddenly thrown into early menopause, experiencing hot flushes within a month of surgery. 68
MENOPAUSE LIFE SUMMER 2022
Back at work, whilst still recovering, she was met with a complete lack of understanding and support from her colleagues for what she was going through. She had perspiration dripping down her face, was exhausted from having trouble sleeping and was experiencing brain fog. Dawn explained: It was really stressful having to manage my debilitating symptoms whilst working at full capacity, as well as repeatedly explaining to everyone that I was going through early menopause. I was mostly surrounded by men with it being the banking industry, and I felt quite alone in what I was experiencing. The few women that there were just didn’t care as they were young (like me) and didn’t know what menopause was. I became embarrassed by my symptoms and uncomfortable admitting that I was experiencing some memory loss because of the menopause. There were a few occasions I’d be sat in a meeting, so warm that my
clothes were soaked through, leaving me withdrawn and just not myself at all. I’d often say, ‘I’m having a moment’ in a light-hearted way, but in reality, this was no joke. Feeling like I was internally combusting, I’d ask if I could sit by the window, but it often fell on deaf ears. I had no one to talk to. After three months, Dawn was prescribed HRT and whilst her symptoms never completely disappeared, the combination of HRT and eating more healthily eased them enough for her to get on with life. However, 10 years later, when she was 47, she came off HRT and her menopausal symptoms returned for a further decade. I had to restart that educational process all over again with my colleagues, justifying my menopausal symptoms, which was so draining. At the same time, I was also going through an upsetting divorce and moved house eight times.
