Discussing menopausal symptoms at work and associations with taboo and need for recovery after work

Introduction

An increasing number of women at menopausal age, of whom many experience menopausal symptoms, are participating in the workforce. Although the impact of menopausal symptoms at work is increasingly recognized, it remains unclear to what extent and with whom menopausal symptoms that limit work functioning are discussed. We examined this and explored associations with taboo, symptom severity, and need for recovery.

Methods

Cross-sectional data of 9977 menopausal women from the Dutch Lifelines cohort were used. In 2024, participants reported on experiencing and discussing menopausal symptoms that limit work functioning, perceived taboo, and need for recovery. Descriptive statistics were used to examine how often symptoms were discussed and with whom (colleagues, supervisors, (occupational) professionals), and regression analyses to explore associations with taboo, symptom severity, and need for recovery.

Results

In total, 36.7% of women reported limitations in work functioning due to menopausal symptoms. Among them, 45.5% did not discuss their symptoms at work. Women with limitations who did not discuss their symptoms were more likely to perceive talking about menopause at work as taboo than women without limitations, particularly those who felt the need to talk about it but did not (OR: 5.12, 95%-confidence interval: 3.54-7.41). This last subgroup, together with women with limitations who discussed their symptoms with an (occupational) professional, experienced the highest symptom severity and need for recovery.

Conclusions

Of menopausal women who report work limitations due to menopausal symptoms, nearly half did not discuss these symptoms at work. The perceived taboo among women who did not discuss symptoms highlights the importance of an open workplace culture and accessible support to promote work participation during menopause.

Key messages

• Nearly half of menopausal women who experience work limitations due to menopausal symptoms did not discuss these symptoms at work.

• The perceived taboo among women who did not discuss menopausal symptoms underscores the need for greater societal and organizational attention to foster an open workplace culture.