• Early menopause at 29 deeply impacted Claudia Zimmerman's personal life and work as a nurse manager. • Medically induced menopause brought her years of anxiety, hot flashes, and weight gain challenges. • Access to menopause-specific healthcare and support at work finally improved her well-being.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Claudia Zimmerman, 48, who went through medically induced early menopause at 29 while working full-time as a nurse manager. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I've been a registered nurse for almost 25 years, and I've spent the bulk of my career working in labor and delivery and at a fertility clinic. I always felt passionate about women's reproductive health due to my own experiences with endometriosis since I was a t

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