Menopause in the workplace: Promoting awareness and support

Menopause affects nearly every aspect of a woman’s life — yet it remains one of the most overlooked workplace health challenges. Employers and payers can step up with tailored benefits, workplace accommodations and integrated care.

For too long, menopause has been treated as a private matter, not a workplace concern. But for the nearly 20% of the U.S. workforce navigating perimenopause or menopause,¹ symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia, brain fog and anxiety aren’t just uncomfortable — they can disrupt careers and finances.

Nearly two-thirds of perimenopausal and menopausal women say their symptoms negatively affect their work.² Some quietly scale back their hours, take more sick days or even leave the workforce altogether to cope.³ The result? Lost wages and opportunities for women and an estimated $26.6 billion per year in lost productivity and higher medical costs for U.S. companies.⁴

Despite the impact, many benefit designs and workplace accommodations fail to meaningfully address menopause. Fortunately, that’s changing. In 2022, just 4% of U.S. employers offered or planned to offer a menopause-specific benefit. By 2024, that number had tripled.⁵ The most common offerings include:⁶

• Access to menopause health professionals (40%)
• Time off or flexible work arrangements (38%)
• Coverage for hormone replacement therapy (38%) 

What’s driving the shift? For one, women over 45 are the fastest-growing segment of the workforce,⁷ and they’re advocating for better care. Nearly two-thirds say they want menopause-specific benefits.⁸ Menopause has also become less taboo, and the impact it has on employees’ mental and physical health and on their work is better understood than ever before.

When employers and payers respond to these needs, good things happen. In organizations that offer menopause support, employees report higher engagement and satisfaction.⁹

Menopause is a multi-system, life-stage transition — on par with pregnancy or postpartum — with ripple effects on cardiovascular risk, musculoskeletal health, cognition, sleep and mood. But it’s not always treated that way. 

Instead, care is frequently fragmented. Many women cycle between primary care providers, ob/gyns, therapists and endocrinologists without coordinated guidance. That can delay diagnosis, drive up costs and undermine outcomes.¹⁰

Integrated, continuous care can change their experience. Programs such as Women’s Health Solutions from Optum connect members to programs with multidisciplinary teams — ob/gyns, pharmacists and mental health providers — who specialize in midlife care. Members also receive coaching and benefit navigation to better understand hormonal and non-hormonal treatment options. This approach enables:

• Earlier detection of chronic disease risks like osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome or hypertension, which often emerge or worsen during menopause¹¹
• Personalized guidance on hormone therapy, non-hormonal alternatives, behavioral health support and lifestyle changes

Busy women — often at the height of their work and caregiving responsibilities — need flexible options. Many don’t know where to start looking for care and may struggle to fit in-person visits into their already busy schedules.

Digital care platforms reduce knowledge barriers and improve speed-to-care by offering 24/7 clinician availability, self-guided education on symptoms and treatments, peer communities and confidential coaching.

Virtual interventions also improve outcomes. They have been shown to support health gains in areas such as blood pressure, cholesterol, weight and anxiety.¹²

Research shows women are at increased risk for anxiety and depression during the menopause transition.¹³ Yet menopause-related symptoms such as anxiety, mood swings, brain fog and irritability often go unrecognized or untreated.¹⁴

Mental health support is still too often siloed from gynecologic and primary care. Many women are left navigating these symptoms without clear tools or guidance. 

Benefits like virtual behavioral coaching and asynchronous self-help tools that improve stress, mood and sleep are effective solutions that fit into a woman’s busy lifestyle.

More than half of women don’t feel comfortable talking about menopause in the workplace. Their reasons range from believing the topic is too personal (80%) to concerns about being perceived as “old” (32%) or being treated differently by colleagues (23%).¹⁵

Stigma, however, thrives in silence. And many employers are not proactively filling the menopause-support gap. According to the 2024 SHRM Employee Benefits Survey¹⁶, only 17% of employers offer menopause-related support such as counseling or education. Just 2% offer menopause-specific leave beyond standard sick time.

A few thoughtful adjustments can build a more supportive and inclusive workplace for menopausal women:

• Flexible schedules, remote work and extra breaks during symptom flare-ups
• Policy updates such as dress code or uniform flexibility, climate control and access to quiet spaces
• Manager training to ensure that employee disclosures about their menopause experiences are met with empathy, not bias

These changes aren’t just compassionate, they’re effective. A strong majority (83%) of women say workplace menopause support would improve their job satisfaction. Nearly 70% say it would make them more likely to stay with their employer.¹⁷ 

Millions of women navigate menopause symptoms during the peak of their careers. When workplaces don't adequately support this life stage, the result is increased absenteeism and stalled advancement.¹⁸

Employers and payers that provide integrated care, always-on digital access, behavioral health tools and policies that help reduce stigma aren’t just addressing a health issue; they’re investing in their workforce’s satisfaction, increasing retention and improving productivity.