Should You Tell Work About Perimenopause? A Guide to Workplace Disclosure

The Question That Many Women Ask in Private

Hot flashes in meetings. Brain fog on deadline days. Exhaustion that sleep does not fully fix. You are managing perimenopause while also managing your career, and at some point you may wonder whether to say something at work.

It is not a simple question. Disclosing a health condition at work carries real benefits and real risks, and the calculus looks different depending on your workplace culture, your manager, your role, and what you actually need. This article will help you think it through without telling you what you must do, because only you can make that call.

What You Actually Need From Work

Start here, not with the disclosure question itself. What would telling work actually get you? Being clear about the outcome you want makes the decision easier.

For some women, the goal is formal accommodations: flexible scheduling, a cooler workspace, reduced travel, or adjusted deadlines during difficult periods. These may require a formal disclosure process, often through HR, to activate workplace policies.

For others, the goal is simply more patience and less monitoring from a direct manager. That might not require a formal declaration at all. A brief, private conversation with a manager you trust may be enough.

And for some women, the main goal is to stop pretending everything is fine all the time. That is a legitimate need too, and it might be met through a single honest conversation rather than a formal HR process.

The Case for Telling Someone at Work

Disclosure, when it goes well, removes a significant burden. Managing symptoms while also managing the appearance of managing symptoms takes enormous energy. When a trusted manager or HR contact knows what is happening, you stop having to perform constant normalcy on top of everything else.

In many countries, perimenopause is increasingly recognised as a condition that may entitle workers to reasonable adjustments under disability or equality legislation. Knowing your rights before a conversation starts is useful. In the UK, for example, the Equality Act 2010 may apply. In the US, the Americans with Disabilities Act may offer protections in some cases. A brief check of relevant employment law, or a conversation with a union representative or employment advisor, gives you a stronger foundation.

Workplace cultures are also changing. Many organisations now have menopause policies, trained managers, or employee resource groups. If yours does, that signals a safer environment for disclosure.

The Case for Keeping It Private

Not every workplace is safe for this kind of disclosure. Some managers respond with discomfort, reduced confidence in your ability, or informal marginalisation. These responses are unfair, but they happen. Only you know your environment well enough to judge the risk.

You do not have to name perimenopause to get support. You can describe symptoms without naming the cause. Something like I have a health condition that affects my sleep and I am working with my doctor on it is accurate and does not require you to give more detail than you want to.

You can also address symptoms quietly without any conversation at all. A personal fan at your desk. Strategic meeting scheduling. Keeping a change of clothing at work. Blocking recovery time into your calendar. Many women manage perimenopause at work through practical adaptations without ever naming what is driving them.

How to Have the Conversation if You Choose to

If you decide to disclose, keep the initial conversation focused and practical. You do not need to provide a full medical history. Frame it around what you need rather than around what you are experiencing in detail.

Ask for a private meeting. Keep it brief. Lead with something like I want to let you know I am navigating a health transition and there are a few things that would help me continue performing well. Then name the specific adjustments you are looking for.

Follow up in writing after the conversation, even informally, so there is a record. If you make a formal accommodation request through HR, ask about the process before you begin and find out what documentation they need, which is typically a note from a healthcare provider.

Protecting Yourself

Regardless of what you decide, documenting your work performance proactively is sensible. Keep records of positive feedback, completed projects, and performance reviews. This protects you if disclosure leads to any change in how you are treated.

If you experience negative treatment after disclosing, keep a record of incidents with dates and descriptions. Workplace retaliation for health-related disclosure may be unlawful, and having documentation matters if you ever need to make a formal complaint.

You are entitled to take sick leave for perimenopausal symptoms without disclosing a formal diagnosis in most jurisdictions. Your GP can provide documentation that supports leave without specifying details you do not want shared.

You Do Not Have to Figure This Out Alone

If your workplace has an occupational health service, that is a confidential first conversation to consider. Occupational health advisors are there to help bridge your health needs with your work requirements, and conversations with them are typically separate from your personnel file.

Women's networks, union representatives, and external career coaches who work with women in midlife can also be valuable sounding boards before you make a decision. The more information you have going in, the more confident you can feel about whatever path you choose.

Tracking your symptoms with PeriPlan over time also gives you concrete information about how perimenopause is affecting your day-to-day functioning. That documentation is useful both for healthcare conversations and for building your own understanding of what adjustments would actually help.

This content is for informational purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider about your specific situation.