The UK's £1.7bn Perimenopause Problem Perimenopause is draining UK businesses of experienced women as symptoms like fatigue and brain fog push many to leave work. The lack of awareness and support is costing companies in lost productivity and talent

UK businesses are being gutted from the inside out. Not by AI or job-stealing bots, but because of an entirely natural and inevitable biological transition called perimenopause, and the impact it's having on women in work. While companies haemorrhage one of their most valuable assets – experienced women hitting their professional stride – this silent crisis is costing the UK at least £1.7bn a year in lost productivity, lost working days, and menopause-driven unemployment.

Right now, 13m women in the UK are navigating the throes of perimenopause and menopause. That's 1 in 3 of the total female workforce. But due to a lack of awareness, education, and workplace support, 1 in 10 of these women will leave work altogether because of their symptoms. Why? Because – unsurprisingly – battling hot flushes, brain fog, fatigue, insomnia, mood swings and any other of the 34 recognised perimenopause symptoms (although some research reports up to 100) impacts a woman's confidence and wellbeing at work. Several studies have revealed the extent of this problem, showing that 53% of women feel that perimenopause symptoms reduce their work confidence; 40% find they make work difficult to enjoy; and 27% struggle to cope in their professional roles.

This talent drain is detrimental on many levels. To start, the average woman enters perimenopause between the ages of 45 and 55, the age at which - more than two decades into her career - a woman is likely to be occupying a senior role, running a department, training up teams, or sitting on a board. These women possess invaluable institutional know-how and industry prowess, 10% of which will disappear entirely when 10% of perimenopausal women inevitably stop working due to their symptoms. This problem runs deeper than lost productivity: we're losing decades of hard-won expertise and industry insight every single year.

From an entrepreneurial perspective, the median age of founders in the UK is 38 to 40, while 35% of UK businesses are started and run by people over 50. This means that just as women consider using their hard-earned experience, network, and confidence to launch a venture, perimenopause hits, and plans can be thwarted. This demographic overlap of perimenopause and founders creates a critical entrepreneurial bottleneck, as the UK loses potential entrepreneurs just when they have the resources to build sustainable businesses.

On a wider level, turbocharging the UK's productivity and economic growth is the talk of the town for this Labour government. However, the question over sustained growth in the face of £1.7 billion menopause-related annual losses is at odds. Labour's industrial strategy emphasises high-skill, high-wage jobs, and yet it's failing to address the fact that we're systematically pushing out the women most likely to create and fill those roles. The UK government cannot afford to lose so many experienced workers during a crucial economic growth period. This perimenopause problem lacks a simple solution, but there are concrete actions that can be taken at every level.

What business leaders can do
First, a reframing is needed: addressing this problem is not a plea to be nicer to women (historically, that plea hasn't gotten us very far). Instead, this is a question of economic growth, sustained innovation, and capitalisation of skill. You shouldn't fix menopause support because it's the right thing to do; you should do it because you'll see immediate returns in your bottom lines, quality of ideas, hiring, retention, and company culture.

Forward-thinking UK employers have already cottoned onto the fact that menopause support is a whole lot more than good PR. Companies implementing comprehensive menopause policies report reduced absenteeism and burnout, leading to higher productivity and retention of experienced women, many of whom hold senior roles. What do menopause policies look like in practice? Flexible working arrangements that accommodate unpredictable symptoms; subsidised access to menopause specialists and healthcare; adequate mental health support; temperature-controlled offices and meeting rooms; menopause support groups; and menopause training for management, to name a few.

Building a menopause-inclusive workplace starts with awareness and education. Too many business leaders and managers have little idea what perimenopause means or involves, including how long it lasts (a staggering 14 years for some). Shame thrives on secrecy and silence, which is why adequate training, knowledge sharing, support groups, and open conversations in the workplace are critical if women are to discuss their concerns and symptoms without the fear of judgement or retribution.

What employees can do
For employees, it's very important to know your rights. In the UK, approximately 25% of companies have specific menopause policies in place. This number is higher than most of Europe, but significantly lower than it needs to be. However, regardless of whether your employer falls into this top quarter, women do have workplace rights when it comes to menopause. Under the Equality Act 2010, employers must make reasonable adjustments for menopausal symptoms that substantially affect day-to-day activities. This means employees can legally request flexible working hours, workspace modifications, or adjusted roles to meet their needs.

What individual entrepreneurs can do
For entrepreneurs navigating perimenopause while building their own venture – who can't rely on HR support or accommodating employers – perimenopause strategies are different but equally important. Perimenopause and hormone tracking solutions can be invaluable for spotting patterns and getting access to help. While perimenopause can be alarmingly unpredictable, data is your best friend (especially for accurately explaining your symptoms to medical professionals), allowing you to identify and preempt trickier periods and adjust your calendar, priorities, and workload accordingly. Femtech solutions are bridging critical gaps in menopause care – from testing to tracking to specialists – making support more accessible and affordable. Every time a perimenopausal woman leaves the workforce, she takes over two decades worth of institutional knowledge with her. Every female entrepreneur who abandons her business plans due to perimenopausal symptoms represents lost economic growth, innovation, and job creation. The £1.7bn we're haemorrhaging annually isn't just a women's issue - it's an economic crisis hiding in plain sight.