There are 14 million working days lost in the UK to menopause

Katie Taylor

CEO & Founder, The Latte Lounge

Menopausal women are the fastest-growing segment of the workforce. It’s estimated that around one in six people currently in employment are women over 50.

For too long, menopause has long been a taboo in the workplace. Women have suffered in silence with their symptoms, often counting themselves out of career progression opportunities or even quitting successful careers to cope.

Why is menopause a business issue? 

Menopause predominantly affects women in midlife with 51 as the average age of menopause in both the UK and US. However, premature menopause can affect women at a much younger age; chemical or surgical menopause can affect women at any age; transgender and non-binary people may experience menopause too.

The symptoms of menopause will affect women for an average of four years, but sometimes up to 10 years. These symptoms are both physical and emotional — and while they will be mild for some women, they could be severe, long-lasting, and debilitating for others.

Often, these symptoms will begin while a woman is in her 40s, in the prime of her career. Lost confidence, sick leave, and tiredness can leave women feeling unable to fulfil their job demands. 

The symptoms of menopause will affect women for an average of four years, but sometimes up to 10 years.

Impacting women in the workplace

• There have been 14 million working days lost in the UK because of menopause.
• Six in 10 menopausal women say it has had a negative impact on their work, and 42% of women consider leaving their job because of it.
• On average, women say they visit a doctor three times or more before they get the right help and treatment for their symptoms, resulting in additional sick leave from work and anxiety and stress.

Firsthand experience with severe symptoms

I didn’t know I was in perimenopause. It was undiagnosed by my doctor for four years. I was prescribed antidepressants instead for anxiety and low mood; yet all the time, these were actually symptoms of impending menopause. I was in my mid-40s, yet I could not go on working in the end due to these symptoms.

That’s why I went on to establish The Latte Lounge in 2016 so that no other woman would needlessly suffer like I did. I’m passionate about educating and empowering women and businesses with information that is evidence-based and backed by a team of medical specialists.