Menopause and work: why it's time we talked about this at the office too

Hot flashes in a meeting, brain fog mid-presentation, sleepless nights before a big deadline, and no protocol in place for any of it.

I want to talk to you about something I lived through very closely in my own professional life, and something very few companies talk about yet: what happens when menopause walks through the office door with you, uninvited.

For years, menopause has been treated as a strictly private matter, something that stays at home. But the reality is that most women go through this stage while still working full-time, often during the years of greatest responsibility in their careers. And there's growing evidence that ignoring this has a real cost, both for them and for companies.

What the evidence says (and what's still not so clear)

I want to be honest with you here: the science on menopause and work isn't as clear-cut as headlines sometimes make it sound. A systematic review published in 2025, which analysed studies up to November 2024, found something interesting: simply being in menopause is not consistently associated with work performance. What does seem to matter are specific symptoms, and that's where another recent review, using the GRADE methodology and published in the European journal Maturitas, does find a clear association: psychological symptoms, vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats) and poor sleep quality are linked to lower work productivity, with moderate-to-high quality evidence.

In other words: it's not "menopause" in the abstract that affects work, it's the specific symptoms many women go through without support or information. And that's exactly where I believe companies, and we ourselves, can do something.

What the numbers say

• Women with untreated hot flashes and night sweats have up to 57% more days of reduced productivity than those without them, according to US health insurance claims data from large employers.
• A Japanese study of nearly 4,000 working women found that perceived workplace openness about the topic, being able to talk about it without taboo, is directly associated with how much symptoms affect performance.
• In Spain, a survey by EADA Business School of more than 500 working women aged 45 to 58 found that although 93.5% have symptoms, only 5% of companies offer any kind of specific support.
• A global survey across eight countries (including the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden) found that 84% of women want more support than they currently receive at work.

What we already knew, and is still true

This connects with something I'd researched before: the MenoSupport project, run by the Berlin School of Economics and Law (HWR Berlin) and the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (HTW Berlin), estimated that menopause symptoms cost the German economy around €9.4 billion a year, nearly 40 million lost working days. One in ten women surveyed had considered, or had already taken, early retirement because of it.

The researchers themselves point out something that resonates a lot with what we see in our own community: many women suffer at work but don't talk about it, out of shame, lack of awareness or fear of stigma. The silence around the topic makes the problem worse, as much as the symptoms themselves.

What the world of work is doing (little by little)

There's a real, if still early-stage, movement toward menopause policies at work: from simple adjustments like fans, flexible hours or relaxing the dress code on difficult days, to more structured programmes with training for managers, peer support groups and, in some cases, specific medical coverage. Catalyst, which surveyed nearly 2,900 people across eight countries in 2024, found that menopause support at work is associated with higher innovation, engagement, job satisfaction and a sense of inclusion among employees. It's not just wellbeing, it's also good business.

• Training for team leaders, so they know how to recognise and support, not ignore.
• Simple environmental adjustments: ventilation, temperature, flexible hours on difficult days.
• Spaces to talk about it without stigma. Sometimes something as simple as mentioning it in a wellbeing policy already changes the conversation.
• Easier access to healthcare professionals specialised in menopause, through company health insurance or benefits.

Germany and prescription apps: a curious model worth knowing about

While researching this topic I came across something I found fascinating and wanted to share with you, even though it isn't directly about "work": in Germany there's a category called DiGA (Digitale Gesundheitsanwendung), which translates as "digital health application", known in practice as "App auf Rezept", app on prescription.

What's interesting isn't that it's just another wellbeing app. It's that, to enter this official registry run by BfArM (Germany's federal institute for drugs and medical devices), an application has to meet the same requirements as any low-risk medical device: CE certification as a medical product, medical-grade data protection, and above all, real proof of benefit for the person using it, whether a direct clinical benefit or a proven structural improvement in care. Only then can a doctor or psychotherapist prescribe it, with the public health insurer covering it as if it were a medication.

Applications of this kind, specifically focused on supporting menopause symptoms, already exist within the gynaecology and urogenital health categories of the German registry. I won't name them here because I don't want this to read as advertising for a specific product, but I do want you to know they exist, that they're regulated with the same rigour as a medication, and that if you live in Germany, this is something you can ask your doctor directly: "is there a DiGA for what I'm going through?"

What I'd like you to take away from this post

If you feel menopause is complicating your professional life, it's not that you're "not measuring up" or that you need to try harder. It's a real physical symptom, with a clear physiological explanation, and with solutions, from a desk fan to an honest conversation with your manager or HR team, that are often far simpler than we imagine. And if you manage people, this is an invitation to ask yourself whether your team knows how to talk about this as naturally as it talks about any other health topic.

Is your company ready to take the first step?

Companies already exist, in sectors as different as banking, pharmaceuticals, media and public administration, that have started offering talks and training workshops on menopause in the workplace. It's not a fad or an HR whim: the concrete goal is to understand the real impact of menopause at work, build a culture where the topic can be discussed without discomfort, give employees practical tools, train teams and middle managers, and in doing so, reduce absenteeism and unplanned departures at this stage of life, retaining experienced, valuable staff rather than losing them right at their moment of greatest professional maturity.

At Vive Tu Balance, we can offer a talk on menopause and work for teams and companies, with that same approach: rigorous, approachable information without taboos. If this interests you, or you think your company could benefit, feel free to write to us at info@vivetubalance.com.

With love,
Alma, from Vive Tu Balance

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