For Years, We've Been Told Talking About Menopause at Work Will Fix the Problem. New Evidence Shows It Won't.

National study finds that while nearly 50% of symptomatic women say they are comfortable telling Human Resources (HR) about menopause, only 6% have disclosed.

WASHINGTON and SALEM, Mass., Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to menopause, the advice given to businesses and women alike is that talking about menopause is the best way to break down stigma. Findings released today from Menopause at Work: From Echo Chamber to Mainstream Practice, a study of 1,110 U.S. employees by The Fuchsia Tent (TFT) and the Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR), show otherwise.

In addition to HR teams, symptomatic women are unlikely to disclose menopause symptoms to managers, with 53% saying they would be comfortable disclosing but only 21% doing so. Women in the study's four regional roundtables suggest that speaking about menopause at work can cost career progression, leading many women to suffer in silence. That silence equals retention risk, with one in three symptomatic women (33.0%) considering leaving her job or cutting hours.

Key study findings

• The support women want doesn't require new line items in the budget: Flexible scheduling (73.7%) and menopause prescription coverage (67.3%) top the list of what women want.
• Many employers already provide benefits that support menopause symptoms: Between 50% and 73% of employees report current benefits that can help with menopause symptoms, but only 9.9% say their organization offers menopause-specific support.
• When it comes to what employees want from their employers, compassionate culture ranks first: The three most common requests that made up 56% of all participant comments were: compassionate culture (24.7%), flexible work and time off (16.0%), and health and wellness benefits (15.5%).

What the co-principal investigators say

"Comfort with the topic of menopause does not lead to disclosure, and most women will not raise their hand, so support has to arrive proactively. The first step to supporting midlife women at work is not a new benefits purchase. Employers should audit what they already pay for, connect those benefits to menopause, and communicate them where every employee will see them," said Kacy Fleming, MA, Co-Principal Investigator of the study and Founder and CEO of The Fuchsia Tent.

"This study asked the whole workforce about menopause, and the answer was consistent: employees want the same care they would expect for any other health issue, and visibility into existing benefits. This is how women's health becomes mainstream practice," said Syreen Goulmamine, MPH, CHES®, Co-Principal Investigator of the study and Associate Director of Research Translation and Programs at SWHR.

About the study

Menopause at Work: From Echo Chamber to Mainstream Practice was fielded in the U.S. from March to May 2026 with 1,110 survey responses and roundtables in four cities. The study measured employee perception and was approved by Pearl IRB, an independent institutional review board. Peer-reviewed manuscripts are in preparation. The full report and media assets are available at: The Fuchsia Tent Report Page and SWHR Report Page.

About the Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR)

The Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR) is a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing women's health through science, policy, and education, and promoting research on sex differences. Founded in 1990, SWHR is making women's health mainstream by addressing unmet needs and research gaps in women's health. Visit www.swhr.org.

About The Fuchsia Tent (TFT)

The Fuchsia Tent (TFT) is a national workplace menopause research and consulting organization. TFT develops evidence-based midlife support strategies and resources that help employers drive retention, engagement, and performance. The Fuchsia Tent was founded by Kacy Fleming, MA, an Organizational Psychologist and former Head of Global Well-Being at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Visit thefuchsiatent.com.

Media contacts

The Fuchsia Tent: Kacy Fleming, Founder and CEO, [email protected], 310.980.7402

SWHR: Monica Lefton, Senior Director of Communications, [email protected], 202.464.6920

SOURCE The Society for Women's Health Research and The Fuchsia Tent LLC