Hi, my name is Whitney. I’m a 40-year-old mother, wife, employee, and many other things. But one thing that has also become part of my story is my transition into surgical menopause.

 

At 38, I entered surgical menopause. There was no gradual transition or opportunity to prepare for how dramatically my body and everyday life would change.

 

I’ve recently started sharing my experience publicly through mymenopausalbrain, although much of what I go through remains private. And the more I share, the more I recognize the need for support and understanding for women like myself.

 

Recently, I created a TikTok about my struggle with sleep due to menopause. Despite my efforts to maintain a healthy sleep routine, there are many nights when I simply don’t get the rest my body needs.

 

But motherhood doesn’t stop. Neither do my responsibilities.

 

I often find myself questioning whether I should use my workplace leave benefits just to get the rest I need to function.

 

I’m fortunate to work for a State , where I have access to leave benefits. But I can’t help thinking about the women experiencing the very same symptoms who don’t have that option.

 

Women who still have to show up for work after a night without sleep. Women who are mothers, caregivers, and employees, trying to meet everyone’s needs while struggling to meet their own.

 

When menopause disrupts a woman’s sleep, the consequences may extend beyond her own health to the people who depend on her. 

 

That doesn’t mean women experiencing menopause are unsafe caregivers or employees. It means their need for adequate rest deserves to be taken seriously.

 

The Medical Evidence Is There 👇🏾

 

Menopause is more than a reproductive milestone. It is a significant hormonal transition that can affect a woman’s sleep, physical health, and everyday functioning.

 

📌Perimenopause:  According to the CDC, approximately 56% of perimenopausal women ages 40–59 in a national survey reported sleeping fewer than seven hours per day.

 

📌Menopause: Research estimates that approximately 40–60% of menopausal women experience sleep disturbances.

 

📌Surgical menopause: The surgical removal of both ovaries causes an immediate hormonal transition when performed before natural menopause.

 

Research has associated surgical menopause with increased sleep disturbances compared with premenopausal women.

 

These are not simply inconveniences. The National Institutes of Health recognizes that inadequate sleep can affect concentration, memory, energy, and overall health.

 

If sleep deprivation is recognized as a health and safety concern, why is menopause-related sleep deprivation so often treated as something women are simply expected to push through?

 

The Need for Workplace Recognition👇🏾

 

Menopause doesn’t have a predictable end date, but that doesn’t mean the need for leave cannot be defined.

 

We already have workplace protections for serious medical conditions and family responsibilities.

 

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides eligible employees with job-protected leave, including intermittent leave for qualifying medical conditions. However, FMLA generally does not guarantee paid leave, and not every employee qualifies.

 

Women experiencing menopause may be eligible for existing protections, yet menopause itself is rarely explicitly identified in workplace leave policies.

 

And while symptoms vary from woman to woman, the need for medical support, rest, and workplace flexibility is real.

 

Menopause affects women differently, and workplace protections should recognize those differences.

 

What We’re Asking For 👇🏾

 

I am calling on the United States Congress and federal labor policymakers to formally recognize menopause-related health needs in workplace leave policy and examine how existing protections can be strengthened to provide meaningful, equitable access to medically necessary leave.

 

This includes women experiencing perimenopause, natural menopause, early menopause, and surgical menopause.

 

Our request centers on three principles:

 

📌Recognition. Explicitly recognize menopause-related symptoms as legitimate health concerns that may require workplace leave or accommodations.

 

📌Protection. Ensure women have meaningful workplace protections when medically necessary time away from work is needed, including intermittent leave.

 

📌Access. Explore equitable paid-leave options so women aren’t forced to choose between their health and their income simply because of where they work.

 

This is about acknowledging that women can experience significant symptoms without being completely unable to work.

 

Being seen shouldn’t require a woman to be completely unable to work before her experience is taken seriously.

 

🤞🏾Join Me in Encouraging Change

 

I’m asking you to JOIN ME in bringing awareness to the need for Recognition. Protection. Access. for women experiencing menopause.

 

Whether you’re experiencing menopause yourself, love someone who is, or simply believe women’s health deserves to be taken seriously, your support matters.

 

JOIN ME by signing and sharing this petition. Together, we can encourage a conversation that leads to meaningful change.

 

❓A Question for Our Lawmakers

Why does workplace policy recognize so many stages of women’s reproductive lives, yet rarely name the transition out of those reproductive years?

 

We have made progress recognizing reproductive health, pregnancy, childbirth, and parental responsibilities in workplace policy.

 

But women’s health needs do not end when their reproductive years do.

 

We’re not asking for a lot. We’re asking for a moment of menoPAUSE in the workplace. But more importantly, we’re asking for CHANGE.