Is there anything worse? You’ve done your duty. You’ve given forth enough children to keep the world spinning and now your biological clock is kicking you in the ovaries. You’ve given this world beautiful children, raised them to the best of your ability and now you are forced to suffer whatever angry battle your organs want to throw at you.
We know this isn’t fair, but unfortunately, we have to put up with it. We can take Motrin, We can sit by the pool or chill in bed with some Netflix going but we are going to have to deal with the pain of menopause. While this ailment literally afflicts half of the population, it’s surprising that so many people are either utterly surprised by the pain of menopause or even forgot that it existed. Regardless of how people feel about this issue, the fact of the matter is that your insides hurt, you’ve done your duty, and you know that your boss may not understand why you are under the weather today. It’s unfortunate that our society has come to this point, but even as a grown woman, you still need a doctor’s note to get out of this suffering.
It might seem silly or redundant that you need a doctor’s note. For the most part, doctor’s notes have been for the children or the employee that wanted to get an easy day off for tripping in the stairwell. As much as our social conditions change, the truth of the matter is this: younger employees will lie and cheat their way out of day offs. It’s not so much that we can judge them for this. We have all been there, but this doesn’t change our situation.
Unfortunately, the woman who has spent the evening struggling to sleep under sweaty sheets is held to the same standard as the employee who spent the evening pounding brews at happy hour. As much as it’s unequal, women who are in this situation face an unfair conundrum. Both the faker and the menopausal woman face the same situation. They are both gone from work and according to the boss; there may not be a difference.
In this case, the true difference is a doctor’s note. A doctors note shows that you are not just taking a day off. But also shows something that, as women, we should not be ashamed of. We will get menopause and it’s important that workplaces understand that reality. Thank god we have doctor’s notes.
