This is how many people are working through high levels of period pain in the office

Your mum might have referred to it as ‘the change’. A mysterious event that happens to women in mid-life, until relatively recently, this defining time in a woman’s life has historically been pretty much shrouded in secrecy.

These days, while we may talk about the menopause more – get some 40-something women together with a bottle of wine and it’ll often be the dominant topic – for many, it still isn’t that easy to deal with, or get help with.

A huge and bewildering array of symptoms can include hot flashes, night sweats, difficulty sleeping, mood changes, low libido, plus problems with memory and concentration.

These can creep up slowly during the perimenopause period, which can start in your mid-30s or as late as your mid-50s.

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For lots of women, this phase can last from four to eight years, and it can take time to realise that something is amiss.

Even former first lady Michelle Obama has found things difficult to navigate.

‘There is not a lot of conversation about menopause. I’m going through it, and I know all of my friends are going through it. And the information is sparse,’ she said in 2020.

On her podcast, The Light, she has also spoken about menopause: ‘What a woman’s body is taking her through is important information. It’s an important thing to take up space in a society, because half of us are going through this but we’re living like it’s not happening.’

Closer to home, The Countess of Wessex has talked frankly about brain fog.

‘You suddenly can’t remember what on earth it was you were talking about,’ she said. ‘It’s like someone has just gone and taken your brain out for however long before they pop it back in again, and you try and pick up the pieces and carry on.’

Heavy periods and work

Many women will empathise, as they will with another symptom: heavier periods. Many find the unpredictability of mid-life menstruation to be particularly difficult to cope with when it comes to work.

Add in the 10% of the UK population which suffers from endometriosis, and it isn’t surprising to find that 27% of women say they have experienced challenges at work related to menstruation, menopause, or fertility.

That’s according to Deloitte’s 2024 Women @ Work study. The research identified that more than 40% of women who experience high levels of pain due to menstruation simply work through it, without taking time off.

Another 39% who experience pain or discomfort due to menopause say they work through it too – almost double the amount of women who said this in 2023. This year, fewer women feel comfortable discussing their health challenges with their managers too, and some say that their career has been negatively affected because they’ve discussed menopause in the past.

That’s backed up by a 2023 survey conducted by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) which found that 67% of women say menopause has had a mostly negative effect on them at work.

Private healthcare provider Bupa also found that more than one million UK women had left a job because their period-related problems became unmanageable at work.

Sensible solutions

So what is the solution? CIPD highlights that only about 24% of organisations have a stated menopause policy or other support measures in place. Acknowledgement and education is a very important first step. Organisations that have support are most likely to have written policies and menopause support networks, for example, and when that support isn’t there, people leave their jobs.

Around one in six have considered leaving work due to a lack of support in relation to their menopause symptoms, and a further 6% have actually left their jobs.

When it comes to what women feel will actually help them, it is easy-to-implement things like flexible working and temperature control. Despite this, only a quarter of CIPD’s respondents say their organisation offers these.

The government is aware of the problem, launching a Menopause and the Workplace Inquiry in 2022.

‘Whilst we accept that menopause is an inevitable and natural part of growing older, women feeling compelled to give up work at the peak of their careers is neither inevitable nor normal,’ its first report said.

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Its recommendations included a visible public health campaign, better training for GPs, introduction of specialist services, and urgent access to lower cost HRT.

Back in the workplace, there are other things that employers can do to make women in mid-life feel more comfortable. Having period products available in bathrooms, and quiet spaces to retreat to if necessary can also help, but ultimately how businesses respond to menstruation and menopause comes down to awareness and a commitment to doing better.

The Menopause in the workplace report lays it out further: ‘Employers who fail to support their menopausal employees, or act punitively towards them, leave themselves vulnerable to discrimination claims. They also risk their reputation, their ability to attract and retain female talent, and their profitability.’

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