Running a Business During Menopause: How Brain Fog, Fatigue, and Pressure Can Increase Cyber Risk and What You Can Do

Perimenopause and menopause are biological transitions, and like any transition, they can influence daily life in more ways than we often acknowledge — from how clearly we think and how well we sleep, to how we process information, make decisions, and respond to pressure.

For women running businesses, this phase often unfolds while they are leading teams, managing finances, handling sensitive emails, approving payments, and carrying full responsibility for their work. When focus is stretched or energy is low, the impact isn’t just personal; it can also affect professional judgment, including how easily we spot mistakes, misinformation, online threats, or even scams.

67% of U.S. Scam Victim Reports Come From Women

Large workplace studies show that menopause often affects sleep, concentration, and cognitive clarity at work — all of which matter in a business environment built on fast, digital decisions.

Findings from the Fawcett Society show that the most commonly reported challenge was difficulty sleeping or exhaustion, experienced by more than four-fifths (84%) of respondents. This was followed by brain fog, reported by almost three-quarters (73%) of women. Looking more closely at day-to-day working life, women also reported difficulty concentrating (79%), increased stress (68%), reduced patience (49%), increased pressure at work (45%), and making more mistakes (35%).

On their own, these symptoms are often discussed as personal or medical challenges. In modern business, however, they intersect directly with digital risk. Work now runs on emails, payment requests, links, attachments, and time-sensitive decisions. When focus and energy are stretched, everyday tasks can quietly carry more risk than usual:

Fatigue makes it easier to rush decisions or fall for scams.
Brain fog can make fake invoices or altered payment details harder to spot.
Anxiety can make urgent or threatening messages feel more convincing.
Memory lapses may lead to password reuse or skipped security checks.
Overwhelm often leads to “I’ll deal with this later”, exactly what scammers rely on.

In the U.S., roughly 67% of scam victim reports come from women, and while scam risk spans all ages, research shows that both younger working-age adults and older adults report significant losses from fraud, with older victims often losing more per incident.

It doesn’t have to be this way

Menopause symptoms don’t have to translate into higher risk or vulnerability. Many women adapt by shifting how they lead, make decisions, and design support systems around them, creating a safety net that carries some of the load when focus or energy are low.

Research published in Harvard Business Review supports this more nuanced picture. The study found that 87% of midlife women said menopause did not disrupt their work. To understand how this happened, researchers interviewed 64 peri- or postmenopausal women in senior leadership roles across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. These women were CEOs, nonprofit executive directors, vice presidents, military officers, school superintendents, and a city mayor — all navigating menopause while holding significant responsibility.

What Worked for Them

Rather than simply enduring symptoms, many of these leaders became more deliberate about how they sought information and support. They researched options, asked questions, pushed for care that worked, and leaned on trusted networks instead of navigating uncertainty alone. This habit of verifying information and seeking second opinions didn’t just help with health decisions — it also reduced exposure to misinformation, questionable advice, and exploitative offers, including scams that often target women during periods of change.

At the same time, many leaders let go of unrealistic expectations and perfection. As energy became more limited, they adjusted how decisions were made: slowing down, setting clearer boundaries, and redesigning workflows so fewer things depended on one person being constantly alert. Openness reduced pressure, and seniority allowed many to turn personal adaptation into structural change — building businesses that could function safely and effectively even when focus or energy fluctuated.

Create a Safety Net and a Business That Supports You

Strong businesses are built on systems that don’t collapse when the founder has a difficult week.

During perimenopause and menopause, support may mean simplifying tools, reducing decision fatigue, writing things down instead of relying on memory, or automating tasks that don’t require constant attention. These are practical ways of designing a business that adapts to real life

Support can also include digital protection that carries part of the load. Bitdefender Ultimate Small Business Security protects your business emails, accounts, payments, and digital identities without requiring your constant attention. That kind of protection matters most when focus fluctuates and energy is limited, because it reduces the risk that one tired moment turns into a bigger business problem.

You can try Bitdefender Ultimate Small Business Security free for 30 days.