Around 40% of women who experience menopause or perimenopause report it has negatively affected their work or life, according to a Gallup survey of over 3,800 U.S. women conducted with Melinda French Gates' Pivotal organization.
Of those affected, roughly 28% felt limited in their work effort. About 15% decided against pursuing promotions or leadership roles. Twelve percent reduced their hours, and 10% took extended leave or didn't return to work.
Amy Terry, 50, worked as a director of programming at a health association when perimenopause symptoms like memory loss and low energy began around 2020. She describes feeling like she was "slogging through mud." By 2023, she quit to start independent consulting. That move cost her roughly an 85% pay cut and her employer-sponsored healthcare.
Mimi Wied, 48, left her museum docent job for a secretarial role paying roughly $20,000 less due to perimenopause symptoms including night sweats, anxiety, and rage.
Erin Levin, 41, a high school English teacher experiencing perimenopause for two years, says she struggles with brain fog and difficulty sleeping. As a single mother, she cannot reduce her work hours.
A 2023 Mayo Clinic study estimated menopause symptoms cost $1.8 billion in lost work time annually in the U.S.
Perimenopause typically begins in one's 40s and can last several years. Menopause typically occurs around age 50 and marks 12 months since the last period.
Rhode Island became the first state to enact workplace protections for women experiencing menopause. Illinois and Philadelphia adopted similar legislation taking effect in 2027. In September, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., held the first congressional hearing devoted to menopause.
A 2026 Society for Women's Health Research and Fuchsia Tent study of 1,100 people found that around one-third of workplace decision-makers said menopause support is currently in place or actively planned. Fewer than 10% of employees said their organization offers menopause-specific support.