Forty-seven(47) million women worldwide will enter menopause annually, reaching this transition between ages 45 and 55 years on average, with a duration of symptoms lasting 2–10 years” (Source(i) & Source(ii)), and all women will experience menopause at some point in their lives (Source). Research conducted by University College London (UCL) EGA Institute for Women’s Health found, among other things, that 58% of black women in the UK said they felt completely uninformed about menopause before the age of 40: (Source). While this statistic relates to the UK, perimenopause is something I am personally grappling with and constantly trying to make sense of in an informed manner. This is being done with no knowledge transfer from prior generations of family, and no conversations about peri/menopause being initiated by the gynaecologists that I have encountered, to date. So, exploring peri/menopause, or sharing resources about this, isn’t to scare those in their 30s; it's for younger women to get and be better informed and take personal health measures earlier and more seriously. Since, according to Dr. Lade Smith, CBE, Royal College of Psychiatrists, President, “...This is a societal issue for everyone. Simply put, we must do better.”
Lauren Tetenbaum is a bright light galvanising change in this area and helping women to do better. I met Lauren Tetenbaum in-person for the first time in March 2025. She was a moderator for our co-author panel for the Ms. JD Leadership Academy Intensive for Spring 2025. Before that, we were co-authors of the Women in Law book (published in 2022), and we primarily interacted via online meetings or social media. So, as Women’s History Month comes to a close, I’m thrilled to spotlight Lauren and share her interview on this crucial topic.
Who is Lauren Tetenbaum?
I got more insights into Lauren, the person and the professional. Lauren shared that she’s “a psychotherapist specializing in women’s reproductive mental health, an advocate for gender equity, and the author of Millennial Menopause: Preparing for Perimenopause, Menopause, and Life’s Next Period - a prescriptive non-fiction book released in July 2025.” She lives with her family - husband, two elementary school-aged kids, and cutest dog, in the suburbs outside New York City, where she was born and raised.
Lauren’s career transitions
Lauren initially transitioned from Lawyer to Social Worker earlier in her career. She intimated the impetus for transitioning from Lawyer to Social Worker, “I genuinely always wanted to help women and make a difference in the world. I went to law school to advocate for reproductive rights but immediately during 1L year knew I wanted to expand my professional training and sought my Master’s in Social Work (inspired by my mom, who had gotten her MSW while I was in high school). I ended up completing both my JD and MSW simultaneously within four years. I then used the mental health and social justice framework I’d gotten from becoming a licensed social worker in the ten years I spent in the legal field, first as an immigration attorney and then in personnel roles through which I supported lawyer parents and managed pro bono programs. I decided to pivot into entrepreneurship during COVID upon recognizing how much women needed mental health support – whether they were moms struggling or young women navigating the corporate world. As a psychotherapist and writer, I am able to fulfill my original goals of advocating for reproductive rights.”
It has been reported that nearly three-quarters of UK women do not know that menopause can trigger a new mental illness. This lack of understanding is so acute that the Royal College of Psychiatrists launched its first targeted “position statement” to raise awareness about menopause and mental health in March 2026 - Position Statement PS02/26 on Menopause and Mental Health: Implications for Clinical Practice, Services and Policy. Dr. Lade Smith, CBE, Royal College of Psychiatrists, President, has also cautioned that: “Menopause can have a significant yet often overlooked impact on women’s mental health and wellbeing…” (Source)
Upon learning the above, it seemed a natural and logical progression for Lauren to add Mental Health and Women’s Advocacy to her professional expertise. She expressed, “I don’t think we can talk about women’s rights without including a discussion on mental health, and vice versa. Mental health is part of health, and for women to be able to live up to their professional potential, we must support their emotional well-being, too.”
Menopause in the spotlight - Why now?
Lauren shared what she believed to have sparked the focus on menopause/women’s health in the last few years at a generational level. She shared, “I think there has been a focus on menopause because Gen X women are angry that the women who came before them were not offered the resources they deserved. In general, I think all American women should be angry as we witness women’s reproductive rights being stripped away by various legislation and cultural attitudes. So, I think we can – and must – only get louder in our efforts to focus on women’s health.”
For me, the macro perspective could not go unmentioned, since according to a 2024 report published by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with the McKinsey Health Institute (MHI), the women’s health gap correlates with women living in poor health for 25% more of their lives than men do. The 2026 version of this report focused on 9 conditions, including menopause, across 15 countries of different income levels. One of its conclusions was that more than a third of the women’s health gap is created by these 9 conditions. Additionally, menopause, along with PMS, migraine and endometriosis, were identified as 4 of the conditions that “affect women’s day-to-day health over time, and are underrecognized, under-researched, or misunderstood relative to the disability and difficulty they can cause.”(Source).
It was also reported that, “Closing the women’s health gap for the selected conditions could contribute nearly $400 billion in annual GDP to the global economy…translating to 2.5 additional healthy days per year for each woman in the world.” Also the estimated global market potential for interventions to address the high unmet need for proper menopause diagnosis and treatment of symptoms ranges between $120 - $350 billion globally, and overall, “better health for women throughout their lives could create at least $1 trillion in annual incremental economic growth by 2040.” (Source).
Lauren, the Menopause Author
At a lovely “getting to know you better” brunch with the other co-authors, on the morning of our March 2025 panel, Lauren shared that her book, Millennial Menopause: Preparing for Perimenopause, Menopause, and Life’s Next Period, was due to be published in July that year. I was immediately intrigued and glad to see a former legal colleague confronting this life transition topic head-on and providing a useful resource for women. So, we dived a little deeper into her book and the writing experience.
I asked Lauren the question that's usually top of mind to pose to the author of a book of this kind - how long did it take to research and write the book, and what did it entail? Lauren shared, “It took about one year from signing with my publisher to the book’s release, which I’m told is quite fast. But I didn’t mind the pace, probably because I so enjoyed the writing and research process. I interviewed four dozen women’s health experts and hundreds of laywomen to get the information I – and my intended readers – wanted. The book is meant to be a guide, a resource for women in their 30s and 40s who want to be proactive about their next phase of health.” I was also curious to learn if Lauren had any stand-out/a-ha moments during her research. She divulged, “I went into this project knowing very little about menopause, despite my education and interest in women’s health in general. So, many things surprised me! As a millennial psychotherapist, I was surprised to learn that perimenopause symptoms often start in women’s late 30s or early 40s, and often with mood shifts.”
Perimenopause and its symptoms
Perimenopause, or the " Zone of Chaos” as Dr. Marie Claire Haver describes it, begins in the brain. Dr. Haver explains that it’s a full-brain and body transition that touches every system in the body, and most of it ties back to hormonal imbalances caused by inconsistent estrogen and progesterone levels. Because it hits women differently - some women will barely notice it, while others will feel like their bodies have turned against them. (Source). “Each woman’s experience is unique based on biological, psychological and social factors,” but no woman is asymptomatic.
From Lauren’s research, she provided a simple definition of perimenopause as “the phase of time leading up to and around menopause, during which hormones (primarily estrogen and progesterone) are wildly fluctuating and eventually decline. The fluctuations usually lead to many physical and mental health symptoms that can be difficult for women to navigate.” Her research revealed that perimenopause may begin in females in their late 30s or early 40s and that everyone is different. But, Lauren highlighted that, “Typically by the mid-40s we can assume a woman is in perimenopause.” Lauren also outlined some common visible or physical symptoms that the majority of women experience such as hot flashes or night sweats, sleep disturbances, changes to skin or hair, and mid-section weight gain.” In relation to the most common, unnoticed or invisible signs/symptoms, she said, “We know that up to 70% of women experience mood symptoms, which are largely invisible. Women are at higher risk of depression during perimenopause, particularly if they have ever had a previous depressive episode. Sometimes depressive symptoms manifest somewhat invisibly, through rage or irritability. This can be really difficult for women, who feel like they don’t even recognize themselves, and of course their loved ones and others around them.“ Lauren emphasised that even if a woman did not experience visible signs, her care for her body should still look different during this phase. She insisted, “Yes! It’s never too early or too late to implement healthy lifestyle strategies, like prioritizing sleep, quality nutrition, stress reduction, social connection, and intentional exercise like strength training.”
Menopause
Lauren went on to give a comprehensive definition of menopause as, “technically one day that marks one year of no menstrual periods, absent any other health reason. It signifies the end of ovarian function and fertility. Once a woman reaches menopause, she is always post-menopausal.” Additionally, from her research on the US, it was revealed that menopause occurred on average at about 51.5 years. She further indicated that, “It’s considered normal to reach menopause between the ages of 45 and 55. Before 45 is considered “early menopause”, and before 40 is considered “premature menopause." It’s helpful to know your mother’s experience with and age at menopause, but it’s not always predictive. Menopause can also be induced by surgery or medical treatments like chemotherapy.”
In terms of how the care for a woman’s body should generally look during this phase, Lauren expressed that, “It’s so hard for women to take care of themselves when we are conditioned to take care of others first. But, we must! Women at midlife (and always) need to care for their health through the aforementioned lifestyle strategies and by working with – truly collaborating with – medical and mental health providers who are informed on women’s health in this phase of life. Women deserve access to and information on all treatment options for whatever symptoms are bothering them most.”
An additional point for women to note is that they should not delay in tracking any possible signs or symptoms and raising this with their healthcare practitioners for treatment, as “more than 35 symptoms are known to be associated with menopause”. So, it is critical that women minimise the risk of any long-term effects of menopause and untreated symptoms such as cardiovascular and neurological diseases, osteoporosis, other gynaecological conditions, etc. (Source).
Advice to female lawyers
Lauren offered advice to women and also female lawyers in their thirties as they prepare for and work through perimenopause and balance their legal careers, “My advice to all women is to know yourself and if something is new and bothering you health-wise, speak up. If your medical provider is dismissive, find a new one (usually doctors and nurses have gotten very little peri/menopause training; at the very least, however, they should say “I will look into this for you.”). For women in their 30s – whether they are in high-powered careers like law or otherwise – I will remind them not to take their fertility (or health) for granted. The general rule is to speak with a reproductive endocrinologist by age 35 if you want to grow your family. Knowledge is power!”
For older female lawyers who may be unaware of the stage they are at, but may be experiencing one or more of the declared symptoms, Lauren shared, “Labels and stages can be helpful, but I think the most useful approach is considering which symptoms, if any, are most bothersome and then speaking up to address it. During perimenopause, our symptoms will likely change. There are lots of treatment options for various symptoms, including hormone therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, anti-depressants, exercise, etc. (and often a combination of all). Women do not need to be suffering to seek help and support!”
Resources & key takeaway for female lawyers
In addition to recommending her book - Millennial Menopause as a great initial resource for female lawyers to tap into “to get an understanding of this pivotal phase of a woman’s health and how to navigate different symptoms and other areas of life.” Lauren also highlighted that she provides psychotherapy and psycho-educational workshops to many lawyers on the topic, and it was, “never too early or too late to learn”.
From all of her work and research in women’s health and menopause, to date, Lauren’s one takeaway for female lawyers to be better equipped to navigate these current or next life periods was, “We deserve support, information, and access to care at any life transition, and peri/menopause is a significant one. So, don’t wait to reach out for the support you deserve!”
The employer’s role
A 2019 survey conducted by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that three in five menopausal women—usually aged between 45 and 55—were negatively affected at work: (Source). A later 2023 CIPD study found that two-thirds (67%) of women (aged 40–60 in employment) with experience of menopausal symptoms reported they had a mostly negative effect on them at work. In the same survey, people with menopausal symptoms reported experiencing a wide range of physical and psychological symptoms. The most common symptoms are psychological, such as mood disturbances, anxiety, depression, memory loss, panic attacks, loss of confidence and reduced concentration. These are reported by two-thirds of respondents (67%).While BUPA reported to the UK House of Commons Women’s and Equalities Committee, that almost a shocking 900,000 women in the UK left their jobs because of menopausal symptoms: (Source).
So, I was interested to hear from Lauren about how employers could support their female employees who may be personally experiencing these transitions. Lauren shared that, “There are many ways employers can support women in midlife, and I would encourage starting this conversation by asking employees what they want. Many women say they want education around peri/menopause, which is quite an easy thing for the employer to provide (I often give informational webinars on this topic!). Since Americans are largely dependent on their employers for healthcare, ensuring access to menopause-informed healthcare providers is a priority for employers.”
Based on research and reports from the US and the UK, employers' approaches need to be adapted from the era when workplaces were designed for men going out to work and women staying at home. So, I hope that menopause policies, or policy provisions, will soon become commonplace in the workplaces of all societies. In fact, it was recommended in the March 2026 Position Statement PS02/26 (by the Royal College of Psychiatrists) that employers should promote and implement a good quality menopause policy that will allow women to thrive in their careers and wider life. And an effective menopause workplace policy includes, but is not limited to, mandatory training for line management, phased return to work, flexible working arrangements and special leave for employees experiencing menopause symptoms: (Source). This can improve employee morale, and it can also result in better risk management, improved productivity and lower costs from missed or late days: (Source).
Males as allies
While menopause is defined as a particularised biological event, “it also represents a psychological and social transition period that can affect women and their wider social networks over a sustained period of time.” This could also inevitably extend to their workplace interactions and relationships.
Lauren emphasised that male lawyers/colleagues could support their female colleagues who may be personally experiencing these transitions by showing compassion. She shared, “Compassion goes a long way. You do not need to be an expert in women’s health at midlife to be supportive. Ask a woman what she needs, or just tell her you’re there for her. Be flexible and be kind (my advice for ALL colleagues at ALL life phases!).”
And for the curious male lawyers/colleagues who may want to learn more so that they can better support their female colleagues, friends, spouses, and family members, Lauren reiterated starting with her book, in which there was a chapter dedicated to men, and another chapter focused on the workplace. Lauren also indicated that her book provides “many resources for further learning, including companies specializing in workplace benefits, healthcare providers with educational social media platforms and podcasts, and more.”
In closing
Menopause isn't just a challenging life transition that all women will face, or are facing, but the sentiments and experiences of women in different parts of the world appear to have common threads. Many thanks to Lauren for her work in this space and for contributing her body of research as a literary resource.
This helps to confront this worldwide issue.
This advances the conversation.
This moves the needle forward.
This better informs and helps women now, and in the generations to come, to lead fuller and healthier lives.
This helps our societies to do better.
Lauren Tetenbaum, LCSW, JD, PMH-C, MSCP is a licensed clinical social worker, women's rights advocate, and writer dedicated to supporting and empowering women through life transitions. With experience as both a lawyer and a psychotherapist, Lauren specializes in counselling women navigating identity shifts related to motherhood, career changes, and reproductive health. Lauren frequently contributes thought leadership to media and professional organizations; she is the author of the acclaimed 2025 book Millennial Menopause: Preparing for Perimenopause, Menopause, and Life's Next Period. Lauren is also a mom of two who lives with her family outside of her native New York City. Learn more about Lauren at thecounseLaur.com or on Instagram (@thecounselaur).
Bellina Barrow is the Principal Attorney/Founder of Tenoreque Legal, a virtual legal practice based in Trinidad & Tobago since 2021. A former legal tutor and a dedicated mentor, Bellina is committed to fostering and contributing to thought leadership in law, fintech, tech, digital assets and sports by deconstructing and demystifying these areas via practical and digestible storytelling and writing. Outside of her technical and academic writing, Bellina is also a co-author of the books Soul of An Athlete (2023) and Women in Law: Discovering the True Meaning of Success (2022).
