Here, Diane shares her menopause journey. A leader at the top of her career, she was suddenly unable to perform her duties to the best of her abilities. She considered leaving the workforce altogether, but fortunately her employer understood that a short-term leave of absence would give Diane time to work with her healthcare provider on strategies that worked. This approach paid off, affording Diane the time she needed to find an appropriate treatment and giving her at least another decade of productivity and skilled leadership. For Diane, her employer’s support as she navigated menopause, and in funding the medication she needed, has meant that she’ll get to spend more time engaged in a fulfilling career. The result has been cost-effective for everyone.

What are the risks for employers who don’t take menopause seriously?

Women who are 40 or older represent one-quarter of workers in Canada, and the Menopause Foundation of Canada estimates that unmanaged menopause symptoms cost the Canadian economy $3.5 billion every year, including $237 million in lost productivity borne by employers and $3.3 billion in lost income borne by women. More than half a million days of work are lost to the management of menopause symptoms.²

There’s clearly a drag on profitability, if these women are suffering in silence and not able to be productive. And if women leave work because they don’t know how to navigate this medical journey, then their employers will bear the loss of their skills and knowledge and the cost of hiring and training their replacements.

What are the consequences for women without employer support for menopause treatment?

The Menopause Foundation of Canada also found that one in 10 women leave the workforce due to menopause symptoms. These are women coaching the next generation of leaders. It’s such a shame that women are leaving the workforce at such a high ratio.

I was almost one of them. I’m in the prime of my life and the prime of my career — I had worked so hard to get where I was — but I didn’t feel like I was able to give my best. It was a constant battle to remind myself that I deserved better and not to give up. I’m glad I persisted even though, now and then, it felt like enough was enough. I’m glad I knew I have so much left to do, so much left to contribute.

What was the most disruptive menopause symptom you experienced?

In 2020, in the thick of the pandemic, I found myself unable to sleep — and, of course, when you can’t sleep, you can’t think, you can’t function, you can barely put a sentence together. I’ve had moments in my life when I couldn’t sleep for a couple of days, but this was very unusual for me. And at work, for decades, I had been a highly productive, high-achieving contributor — trained as a pharmacist, working in pharmaceuticals and, at the time, leading a team of 40.

What did you do?

My boss and I had a really good relationship and, after about seven sleepless nights, I told her what was going on. She was wonderful. She said, “Take a couple of days off until you see your doctor.” My doctor immediately put me on leave, and thankfully my boss was supportive and my team was functional and resourceful. In pharma, where I’ve spent most of my career, health comes first. Everyone said, “Take care of yourself. Come back when you’re ready. We’ve got this.” I still felt guilty. I had never needed to take time off for a health issue, and I didn’t even know what health issue I was experiencing. So, how would I know when I was better?

Was your sleeplessness immediately connected to menopause?

My doctor and I looked at my single symptom in isolation and assumed it must be stress, even though I was 54 years old so I was in the perfect age range for menopause. I got cognitive behavioural therapy. I got sleep aids. I got a leave of absence from work for about three months. After that, I got accommodations, with one part of my job given temporarily to someone else.

Then, about two months after I returned to work, the night sweats started. That’s when I wondered, “Could the lack of sleep be menopause?” Investing in yourself for cognitive behavioural therapy is wonderful and helped me cope better with stress, but that wasn’t the original mechanism behind my sleeplessness — and, if the root cause was menopause, I needed a different type of treatment.

How long did it take to find a menopause treatment that worked for you?

I dabbled with various hormone therapies at different doses, but I was not satisfied with how I felt. I’d stop the medication and think, “It’s a transition, it will pass.” Then I didn’t feel like myself, so we’d try something else. It was iterative — small steps at a time. But, eventually, I was able to go back to my full work responsibilities without accommodations. It took more than a year to finally end up on a medication that made me feel whole again.

What can employers do to help women experiencing menopause symptoms?

Something as simple as allowing flexible hours can help. If I wake up at 3 a.m. and don’t fall back asleep until 6 a.m., I don’t want to be getting up at 7 a.m. Let us sleep until 9 a.m. so we can show up at 10 a.m. more refreshed and productive.

What advice do you have for women approaching and experiencing menopause?

Menopause is confusing. It makes you second-guess yourself, not feel like yourself and not be at your best. My advice is to remember doctors are doing their best, but they didn’t get a lot of education on menopause. So, let’s help them succeed by doing our own homework. Some wonderful tools are available, including the six-question MQ6 that women can take to their doctors to make sure they’re discussing all their menopause symptoms. And if your doctor doesn’t know how to treat your symptoms, ask for a referral to someone who might.

How are you doing now?

I feel like myself again. I’m firing on all cylinders. I’ve got my energy. I feel productive. I’m sleeping without issue. I’m back to being who I was meant to be.

While this article includes references and images related to women, Astellas recognizes and respects an individual’s right to define their own gender identity and their pronoun of choice.