Brain fog, anxiety, and hot flushes at work

Almost three in four women here had menopause symptoms that interfered with their well-being and ability to do their jobs

- Stephanie Yeo

Ms Heena Kohli was 45 in 2023 when she experienced hot flushes so bad that she used ice to cool herself down at night.

The avid runner, who clocked 10km daily and ate mindfully, put on about 10kg in 18 months.

"I started to have brain fog. I couldn't remember people's names at work," says the Singapore permanent resident. She is regional lead for sales, learning and effectiveness for the Asia-Pacific (Apac), Middle East and Africa, and China in a fintech multinational. She manages a team of seven across the three regions.

"My energy levels dropped completely and I had a hard time focusing on work and managing my anxiety."

Her symptoms eased after her work leader recommended an ayurvedic expert based in India, who told her to eliminate sugar and caffeine, among other dietary changes, and introduced her to yoga and meditation.

Ms Heena's experience is mirrored in workplaces across the globe, as the first generation of women to work full time in large numbers hits the menopause transition, often during their career peak.

Women reach menopause when they have no periods for 12 consecutive months. During the period leading up to that, called perimenopause, many experience a variety of symptoms caused by fluctuating hormone levels that can last up to a decade.

In Singapore, women typically reach menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, with 49 being the average age. This is earlier than the average age of 51 in Western societies.

WHITE PAPER FINDINGS Menopause is not just a women's issue, but also a workforce issue, according to a ground-breaking new white paper by the NUS Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality (ACRLE) and femtech start-up HeyVenus Integrated Healthscience.

The white paper surveyed 1,741 working women aged 20 to 60 across Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, Japan and Indonesia. A quarter of the respondents were from Singapore, including Ms Heena.