Menopause remains taboo at work

“Being embarrassed doesn’t help to talk about it”

Elke Haccour (48) is an occupational therapist at the UZ Leuven hospital. A few years ago, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. With the right treatment, she recovered. But the chemo therapy triggered her menopause. And that has its consequences.

“Perimenopause has been a hot topic in recent months. But I skipped it,” Elke explains. “The chemo therapy immediately triggered my menopause. I aged ten years overnight. My skin changed, I gained weight, I sleep less well and am tired much more often, I struggle a bit more with multitasking, etc.”

How does it impact your work?

Haccour: “My colleagues say they don’t notice any difference. But I feel that my working ability has dropped significantly. I feel less fit and have less energy. I am also dissatisfied with my work. Try working while sweat is running down your face. I also look forward to the weekend much more than before. I actually never used to do that. But now I need the weekends to recover from the working week. Fortunately, older employees in our sector are entitled to many additional days of working time reduction, which helps to keep going.”

Can you talk about your situation at work?

Haccour:  “With my colleagues, I can. I work in a great team. After years of working together, we know each other well enough to talk about such topics. And other colleagues struggle with the same issue.”

Do you feel understood by your manager?

Haccour:  “I addressed the issue with my manager during my recovery process after my cancer treatment. It’s an easier topic to address than menopause. I also feel a lot of embarrassment and doubt in myself. Am I being too faint-hearted? Those feelings don’t help in addressing this topic with your manager. And I’m lucky my manager is a woman. If they were a man, it would be even more difficult. Fortunately, she responded in a very nice and understanding way. I can’t handle everything anymore, so I make more decisions now.”

How can we break the taboo around menopause and perimenopause?

Haccour:  “It can only be broken by talking about it. It’s great I can talk about this with my colleagues. But it should also be addressed at work during the annual medical examination. Especially in the non-profit sector, where a lot of women work, the topic should be discussed. Why hasn’t it been included in the annual action plan of the committee for prevention and protection in the workplace? It would be good to included it and to look for ways to deal with it.”

It remains a women’s issue. Doesn’t that also make it difficult to address?

Haccour:  “Probably. Penopause in men appears to be a bit less far-reaching. It’s a difficult topic to talk about with men. But even among women it can be difficult to talk about. I struggled with it for a long time. I felt all sorts of things, but didn’t really know what was going on. It’s great that more attention is being paid to it now.”

How are you doing at work now?

Haccour:  “Things are going well, thank you. I still have some challenges I want to work on. I’m only 48. That’s way too young to not have any challenges anymore. I want to be active in society. And I want to work!”

Never Work Alone 2024 | Author: Sandra Vercammen / Jan Deceunynck | Photo: Shutterstock