8 Strategies to Balance Reproductive Health Issues and Your Career
We don’t like talking about it–and this is probably a controversial thing to say–but let’s be honest: Our uteruses interfere with our jobs. Whether we’re dealing with our vexatious time of the month or cramps that keep us bedridden, being a female presents challenges that men just can’t understand. Even a natural and healthy pregnancy comes with impairments; after all, pregnancy brain, exhaustion, and morning sickness are real.
We talk only in hushed tones about how much our periods, our pregnancies, and our reproductive health issues cause us to suffer on a regular basis at work. Perhaps it’s a fear of losing opportunities based on issues that are out of our control. We want our careers, too, without having to compromise.
But the fact is, we face challenges every month, at a minimum. So how do we accommodate our health as women without it interfering with our careers?
Over the years, I have developed several strategies. As a disclaimer, I am not suggesting that women should simply accept discrimination and a lack of empathy toward our biology. It’s a problem that we need to keep working on, but workarounds for the real world are nonetheless necessary.
Work for Yourself
Many women are starting their own businesses so that they can build their schedules around their many life demands. Being a business owner is not easy. But if you decide to try, you’ll be able to take a nap or go to a doctor’s appointment mid-day without answering to anyone.
Always Be Prepared
Keep emergency kits in your car, briefcase, and office. These should include medications, painkillers, hot water bottles, feminine supplies, cleaning supplies, towels, changes of clothes, etc. If you have specific needs, be sure you have the necessary items with you at all times. That way, you’ll be prepared if you have an issue.
Learn to Keep a Poker Face
Never let them see you sweat, and never cry publicly. People may treat you as weak if you do, and you’ll lose confidence. It is not fair that we are prevented from showing authentic human emotions, but life is not fair. Regardless of the health challenge I am facing, I have never regretted the dignity of silence when in a roomful of colleagues, whatever their reaction may be.
Have a Good Support Staff
Find a few people in your office to handle things for you when you are sick (and vice versa). This way, you’ll be able to delegate to get things done even if you’re on bed rest or in the hospital. Finding the right people to have your back is not easy. Develop those relationships early.
Prioritize and Forgive Yourself
You can’t get everything done when you feel awful and need sleep, so do the most important things and forgive yourself if you drop minor balls. Accept that it’s just how it’s going to be.
Have a Support Network
Whatever challenges you are dealing with as a woman, find other women going through the same thing and be sisters. It will keep you sane.
Be Aggressive
As much as possible, proactively push things forward in your business. This will give you the time you may need to deal with health challenges. Don’t let things pile up; good planning and drive are essential to avoiding the world coming down around you when you need a nap.
Advocate for Your Health
Women still have to fight for good health care more than we should. In fact, studies show that there still is a stigma against women who seek reproductive health assistance. But remember that you are responding to your biology and you need to demand care. There is no reason to suffer, and there is no excuse to remain ignorant about your health care needs. There is no better advocate for your health than you, so be sure to keep on top of what you need to remain healthy.
The world is not always fair, and being female may present us with more physical challenges than men face, both on and off the job. But that doesn’t mean we have to give in or give up. We can problem solve and create coping strategies to ensure that we maintain our best health and continue to advance in our careers.