The next frontier for corporate benefits: menopause
Some companies look to expand care, retain staff
In her late 40s, Celia Chen began experiencing unexplained symptoms such as anxiety, a spike in blood sugar, acne, and chronic pain in her shoulder — all of which she attributed to her high-pressure job as a marketing executive at a startup, which involved red-eye flights and long hours.
After switching to a new gynecologist, at 48, she learned that these changes were related to her transition to menopause, known as perimenopause. And that the stress of the job was only making them worse. Chen says her doctor told her, “your body is screaming for you to stop.”
“I hit a wall,” Chen said. Eventually, Chen changed her lifestyle and, after a few months, switched to working as a consultant, which allowed her to control her hours and stress levels.
Symptoms associated with the transition to menopause, which can last a decade, are often a drag on women’s careers and arise at a time when they may be stepping into larger executive roles. A study by the Mayo Clinic published this year found that 15 percent of women either missed work or cut back on hours because of menopause symptoms, and that loss of productivity costs women an estimated $1.8 billion each year.
And so, in the same way that many companies looking to attract and retain talent have expanded their benefits packages to include fertility treatments, paid parental-leave programs, and child care, some are now wrapping in menopause-specific care.
These benefits can include virtual access to the small pool of roughly 1,000 certified specialists in the country, who can be difficult to find locally, and coverage for often-expensive hormone treatments that may not be included in some insurance plans.
For health care company Sanofi, adding menopause perks was “a no-brainer,” said Nathalie Grenache, senior vice president of people and culture.
“If you feel truly supported throughout your life cycle, whether it is maternity or menopause, you’ll be more engaged,” she said. “I’m sure the new generation is more demanding on that.”
Providers of corporate support services for menopause say uptake has been fast. Peppy, a gender-inclusive telehealth company that was founded in 2018 in Britain, offers menopause support in workplaces and began offering services in the United States in January. In October, the health care benefits provider Maven launched a menopause product, which provides employees with telehealth access to specialists and therapists as well as chatrooms to discuss their experiences and share resources. Within nine months, more than 150 companies had signed up, said Maven CEO and founder Kate Ryder.
More than 40 percent of female workers are at least 45, the age at which women typically transition to menopause, although some studies suggest that women of color might begin earlier.
That shift — marking the end of a woman’s reproductive years — is characterized by an array of symptoms, including insomnia, hot flashes, and brain fog. In large part, the symptoms can be debilitating because there are few effective treatment options and there is very little research into why and how menopause changes the body.
Despite the high cost and common experience of menopause, it has mostly been ignored in the workplace. A 2023 survey by Bank of America found that 58 percent of women felt uncomfortable talking about menopause at work because it seemed too personal.
Some legal experts say existing laws may require companies to make accommodations for menopause, which could go beyond menopause-specific care benefits to include schedule flexibility or spaces for cooling down.