Benefits | Menopause Support | Guidance for Employees

It can be hard to talk to your manager about something so personal, but they are here to support you at work. Don’t be afraid to discuss potential changes at work which are reasonable and that may help you cope more easily with your menopausal symptoms. 

Here are some top tips to get the best from your conversation:

1. Prepare:

• Familiarise yourself with DCU’s Menopause Support Policy and visit DCU’s Menopause Support Hub. 

• Talk to relevant staff about the menopause which can also help to prepare for the conversation, such as your People Partner, EAS, and others. 

   

2. Keep a record: Making notes of how your symptoms are affecting you at work can help you both come up with some reasonable, practical solutions (see list of some practical changes below). Often changes are relatively small and simple, but they can really help. 

    

3. Book a meeting: Having a time and date in the diary means you’re not catching your line manager off guard, and they can also prepare for the meeting. Ask to have conversations in a private place where you won’t be interrupted by anyone else. 

    

4. Agree on approach: Together, you can come up with an action plan which works from both perspectives. They may need some time to seek advice themselves or find out what is on offer. 

    

5. Follow up: This is important, as symptoms can change over time. It may be that you need the reasonable adjustments tweaked a little if this happens.

Menopause is the transition from the reproductive to non-reproductive phase of life. There are three phases to this:

1. Pre-menopause where you still have periods (whether they’re regular or irregular) and are considered to be in your reproductive years. Some hormonal changes may be occurring, but there are no noticeable changes in your body.
2. Peri-menopause is the actual time of transition, when hormone levels begin to fluctuate and occurs well before you officially hit menopause. In fact, women enter this stage some 8 to 10 years ahead of menopause. Most women will notice peri-menopause symptoms in their 40’s. During this time oestrogen and progesterone levels start to fluctuate and this can result in many troublesome symptoms, particularly flushes and sweats. Most hormone blood tests done at this stage will report as ‘normal’ and they are unhelpful with diagnosis. The sex hormone levels can also go up and down more sporadically than a normal 28-day cycle, which can cause irregular periods and other symptoms. During the final stages of peri-menopause, your body will produce less and less oestrogen. Despite the sharp drop in oestrogen, it’s still possible to get pregnant.
3. Post-menopause, officially kicks in when the ovaries produce so little oestrogen that eggs are no longer released. This also causes your period to stop.

The above type of menopause refers to ‘natural’ menopause. However there are other types of menopause that can occur, namely; Early menopause, Premature menopause (also known as POI - Premature Ovarian Insufficiency), Surgical menopause and Medically induced menopause.

• Early menopause occurs when a woman's periods stop before the age of 45 and can happen if your ovaries stop making enough hormones, particularly oestrogen. Early menopause typically affect 5% of the female population.
• Premature menopause occurs when a woman’s periods stop before the age of 40 . It occurs because the ovaries no longer release eggs (ovulation) regularly and stop producing the usual premenopausal levels of reproductive hormones. Premature menopause can happen at any time from teenage years onwards and recent research suggests it impacts at least 3.5% of the female population.
• Surgically induced menopause occurs when a woman’s ovaries have been removed by surgery. Removing both ovaries leads to permanent and immediate menopause  If you have surgery to remove your ovaries, in a procedure called a bilateral oophorectomy, these hormonal changes will happen very quickly and often straight away. Surgical menopause can be overwhelming.
• Medically induced menopause is an umbrella term that includes surgical menopause as well as menopause due to medication, such as chemotherapy or radiation damage to the ovaries, or from the use of other medications to intentionally induce menopause as part of the treatment of certain diseases. stopping your ovaries from functioning. Sometimes it is permanent, and sometimes it is not.

Older Women and the Menopause

Menopause can often come at a time of life when women are already experiencing other issues or difficulties, such as the onset of age-related health conditions, increasing caring responsibilities for elderly or sick parents and relatives as well as children or grandchildren. Increases in the state pension age also mean that some women will now have to work longer than they had planned.

Women who have suffered damage to their pelvic floor during childbirth may be more at risk of certain conditions as a result of the menopause. For example, problems such as incontinence or prolapses can develop as a result of the hormonal changes during the menopause as this can further weaken damaged tissue.

For older women who do not have children, the fact that the menopause signals the end of a woman’s reproductive life can give rise to additional emotional issues. It may be a particularly difficult time for women who wished to have a baby but were unable to conceive or for those who’ve suffered miscarriages or stillbirth.

Younger Women and the Menopause

Around 1 in every 100 women will have the menopause before the age of 40. In many cases there is no clear cause. Many younger women also experience a surgical or medical menopause, due to treatments for conditions such as cancer. Women who have an early or premature menopause are also more at risk of developing osteoporosis (‘brittle bones’) and heart disease.

Women with Pre-Existing Conditions or Disabilities and the Menopause

There is currently a lack of research and information about the interaction between the menopause and many illnesses and conditions. Many women report that the menopause seems to make existing health conditions worse, triggering or coinciding with a flare up of symptoms. Some women report that the menopause seems to trigger or coincides with the onset of a new condition. An existing health condition may also worsen symptoms of the menopause. 

It may be difficult to tell whether a symptom is caused by the menopause or by the existing condition, or to tell which is making the other worse. Many symptoms can interconnect or overlap. For example, for a woman with diabetes, hormone changes associated with the menopause may make it more difficult to keep blood sugar levels stable. It may also be difficult to tell whether symptoms such as sudden changes in body temperature or mood swings are related to fluctuations in blood sugar caused by diabetes or hormonal changes due to the menopause. This can make symptoms harder to manage and treat.

Trans and Non Binary People and the Menopause

Trans men (those who identify as male, but were assigned female at birth) will experience a natural menopause if their ovaries remain in place and no hormone therapy is given. Trans men will also experience menopausal symptoms if the ovaries and uterus are surgically removed (this may happen at an earlier age than commonly happens with a natural menopause). Symptoms may be reduced or complicated if hormone therapy (such as the male hormone testosterone) therapy is in place.

Trans women (those who identify as female, but were assigned male at birth) undertaking hormone therapy will usually remain on this for life, and should generally experience limited ‘pseudo’ menopausal (menopausal-like) symptoms - unless hormone therapy is interrupted or hormone levels are unstable. Such treatment interruptions however can be a common experience for trans women (and trans men).

Trans people report that for those with unstable hormone levels, access to local services that responsively and proactively monitor and manage hormone levels is currently lacking. As such, many trans people are likely to experience at least some menopausal symptoms. How a trans person experiences symptoms in later life may vary depending on the age at which they transitioned and when in time that was (as treatments have changed and developed over time).

Non-binary and intersex persons may also experience menopausal symptoms – unfortunately there is currently a lack of information about the experiences of these groups of the menopause.

Some trans people may not wish to disclose their trans status and as a result, may be reluctant to discuss menopausal symptoms if doing so would disclose their trans status. Many trans people choose not to disclose their trans status, either before their transition, or if they start a new job after transitioning.

Men and the Menopause

Although men do experience an age related decline in hormone levels, this is normally a very gradual process which happens slowly over a man’s lifetime in a way that is unlikely to cause problems in itself.

It should be recognised that men can be indirectly affected by the menopause – for example if their female partner is experiencing insomnia and night sweats men may also experience disrupted sleep and fatigue. If a man’s female partner experiences significant physical or psychological symptoms (such as depression) he may be concerned for her wellbeing and feel increased levels of stress.

Since 2018, the Menopause Hub has been conducting surveys among menopausal women in Ireland to find out about their experience of menopause. Prior to this there was no data in existence. In 2023, they had over 3,000 respondents to our online survey, all menopausal women at different stages of menopause. This includes perimenopause, post menopause, early menopause, premature menopause, surgical menopause and medically induced menopause. Here are the key highlights:

Menopause - the impact

• 87% believe that menopause is still taboo, although 93% think it is more acceptable to talk about menopause now.
• 68% said that they were not at all prepared for menopause / perimenopause.
• The top 3 sources of information on menopause are:  Internet (58%), social media (47%), and family and friends (46%). The GP as a source is only 21%.
• 55% are aware of 15 menopause symptoms or less (there are over 40 symptoms).
• Over 90% had symptoms (the global average is approx. 80%).
• One third described their symptoms as severe, whereas 50% said moderate, and 15% said mild.
• The top 5 symptoms experienced were: cognitive, including brain fog, memory loss (78%), fatigue (76%), anxiety (70%), weight gain (66%), and feeling overwhelmed (60%).

Menopause in the workplace

• The top 5 symptoms that impact women while working are: Cognitive (76%), fatigue (63%), feeling overwhelmed (52%), anxiety (48%), and loss of confidence (48%).
• 84% said their performance was negatively impacted by their symptoms while working (26% said ‘a lot’ and 58% said ‘a little’).
• 37% said that they had missed time off work due to symptoms, with 18% missing 3+ days.
• 77% were not comfortable telling their employer the real reason for taking time off work.
• One third of women considered giving up work due to symptoms and 7% actually gave up work.

• Hot flushes that can start in the face, neck or chest, before spreading upwards and downward; may include sweating, the skin becoming red and patchy, and a quicker or stronger heart rate. Sweating may be profuse, requiring a wash and change of clothes.
• Heavy and painful periods that can be very tiring and require frequent changes of sanitary wear and need to wash. Some affected may become anaemic.
• Night sweats, restless leg syndrome and sleep disturbance leading to fatigue.
• Low mood, irritability, anxiety, panic attacks, palpitations (noticeable heartbeats), loss of confidence, tearfulness/feeling emotional, withdrawing.
• Tiredness, poor concentration, and memory problems.
• Frequent or urgent need to pass urine, urinary incontinence or infections such as cystitis.
• Dry and itchy skin, dry eyes.
• Joint and muscle aches and stiffness.
• Weight gain.
• Reduced sex drive.
• Headaches and migraines.
• Hair loss.
• Osteoporosis, where a decrease in strength and density of bones leads to bone thinning.
• Side effects from hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

There are 40+ symptoms of the menopause - see the Menopause Hub Symptom Checker for a full list. 

• Supportive empathetic conversations make the difference – managers need to ensure they are equipped to have conversations with their team members and providing an effective framework allows people experiencing menopause to feel supported and valued in the workplace.
• A healthy and inclusive environment and culture is better for everyone. A wide-ranging physical and psychological symptom can feel seriously inhibiting to someone in their career.
• By providing the right support and communicating openly enables all people – and teams – to perform at their best. Creating an open, honest environment means we can all achieve our full potential at work.
• Mental wellbeing in the workplace depends on many factors. Significant loss in confidence and motivation at work can be experienced during the menopause leading to poorly affecting overall wellbeing.
• Retaining our talent – 40% of menopausal women have considered leaving work because of their symptoms further contributing to the overall skills shortage and talent retention crisis. Providing the right support can retain experienced and knowledgeable employees.
• Reduce absenteeism and increase productivity – supporting employees by making simple adjustments can enable them to continue to work thereby reducing absenteeism levels and allowing them to achieve their full potential. A study by Worklife found a potential productivity loss of up to 14 million working days due to menopause.
• The Law - Statutory equality law does not expressly provide protection for menopause or perimenopause as such. However, women who suffer discrimination in employment that is related directly or indirectly to them having menopausal symptoms may, depending on the specific facts of their cases, be able to seek legal remedies if a tribunal determines that they have suffered unlawful discrimination or harassment on the grounds of sex, disability or age. There have been a number of successful tribunal cases in the UK which provide employers with important lessons in how to support women affected by menopause. A failure to respond to the needs of employees affected by menopausal symptoms could be viewed as direct/indirect sex discrimination and/or a failure to make a reasonable adjustments.