If you’re in your 20s or 30s, it’s likely you’re trucking along without giving menopause a single thought. When you’re still dealing with the faff of periods, menopause feels like a distant reality, something you’ll only have to consider when it starts.

Not to worry you, but the effects of menopause might hit sooner than you think. Perimenopause – the process that happens before we have our last period – can last up to 12 years, and while it is considered ‘normal’ to happen between the ages of 45 and 55, some people can begin experiencing symptoms up to 10 years before that. In short, perimenopause makes up a significant portion of our time on earth, so we really should be a bit better prepared for it.

That preparation isn’t just in terms of our hormonal health, but in the adjustments we might make to our lives to fit our new perimenopausal realities, such as how we work.

“The conversation about perimenopause has much more visibility than ever before,” says Cathy Hastie, a social entrepreneur, HR director and author of Menopause Working. “Public figures sharing their stories and openly talking about how their symptoms have affected them has opened the door for much more transparent conversations in the workplace.”

But the idea of bringing up perimenopause-related issues in the workplace can still feel awkward. So how do we do it? Hastie shares her advice ahead.

How to talk to your boss about perimenopause symptoms