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

Objective: 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 9,977 perimenopausal and postmenopausal 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 the need for recovery. Descriptive statistics were used to examine how often symptoms were discussed and with whom (colleagues, supervisors, [occupational] professionals), and regression analyses were used 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 (odds ratio: 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 perimenopausal and postmenopausal 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.