Burnout among women in healthcare is rising, and most interventions focus on external factors: workload, culture, boundaries. But what if one of the most effective tools for prevention is already built into the body?
This evidence-based session introduces the menstrual cycle as a physiological framework for understanding energy, focus and resilience. Drawing on research in biology, neuroendocrinology and business psychology, Carmen Amador Barreiro presents the cycle not as a barrier to performance, but as a source of data that high-performing women can use to work more sustainably.
This session will explore:
→ How hormonal fluctuations across the cycle affect energy, cognition and emotional regulation
→ How to align workload, creative output and decision-making with the four phases of the cycle
→ How to recognise early signs of depletion and adjust before burnout develops
→ Practical, evidence-informed tools for sustaining performance without sacrificing wellbeing
→ How organisations can better support women's physiology
Grounded in science and framed as one lens within a broader understanding of burnout, this session offers a fresh, practical perspective to navigate demanding careers in healthcare.