Menopause: The Benefits Gap that Employers Need to Talk About

Inessa Lurye, Senior Director, Consumer Product, Hinge Health

Inessa Lurye is an experienced and mission-driven product leader passionate about innovating at the intersection of behavior change and consumer technology. She is passionate about advancing women’s health and health equity. Also experienced in building high performing and empowered product and design teams.

Natalie was a senior executive who was at ease in front of clients and staff. It was just after her 46th birthday that she started to feel a little off and would have moments where she would get easily distracted or forgetful. She also noticed she was waking up with more aches and pains and experienced leakage after her usual workout class. She never even considered these could be symptoms of menopause.

Every woman experiences menopause differently, but a major misconception surrounding this phase of life is that it is an isolated point in time. In reality, symptoms last on average for seven years and they affect every aspect of a woman’s life, including her career.

The Facts about Menopause in the Workplace

In a recent survey, 39.6 percent of women stated that perimenopause and menopause symptoms -- which can include mood fluctuations, hot flashes, fatigue, urinary incontinence, insomnia, muscle and joint pain, and more – have significantly affected their work life. Research suggests that over 50 percent of postmenopausal women experience pelvic health issues like incontinence and close to half of women between 50 and 79 have some form of pelvic organ prolapse, when the uterus drops down into the vaginal canal. If you’re suffering from aches and pains in your joints or are anxious about being close to a bathroom in case of possible leaks, your concentration and productivity at work is going to suffer.

" Employers who do not provide women experiencing menopause symptoms with options in the workplace pay the price over time "

Clearly, these sorts of changes in a woman’s physical and mental health have the power to significantly affect their work lives, with two out of five predicting they will retire earlier than originally planned because of them. This can be devastating for women and employers alike, since menopause usually occurs coincidentally with the time in a woman’s career when she is most likely to be poised for advancement to positions of greater responsibility and leadership.

Many women suffer in silence and feel alone during this stage of their lives, even though large numbers experience a range of menopause and pelvic health issues.

Specifically, when it comes to pelvic health issues associated with menopause, some women believe that treatments don’t exist, while others fear that it’s too late to seek care. Fortunately, those myths couldn’t be further from the truth.

Menopause and Pelvic Health in the Workplace: What Employers Can Do

Employers can send a strong message of support to female employees by providing pelvic healthcare benefits at all stages of life, including throughout the phases of menopause. This can include flexible work policies and education or support groups. When designing an equitable and compelling solution for women’s pelvic healthcare, benefits managers should be asking themselves:

1. Are pelvic healthcare benefits offered part of our employer’s health plan? In the United States, employer-sponsored health insurance covers nearly 155 million individuals. Most Americans of working age receive health benefits through an employer, so it’s critical that benefit plans include pelvic healthcare coverage.

2. Is the care that we offer easy to access? Looking at physical therapist data from the American Physical Therapy Association, we see that only 7 percent of physical therapists are trained in pelvic floor physical therapy. Waiting lists for these specialists can be months long, so employers need to identify solutions that lower barriers to access to care.

3. Is the care we offer convenient? When it comes to physical therapy of any kind, convenience contributes to greater adherence and better results. This is especially true for sensitive conditions like pelvic health pain. Digital health solutions that can be used from the comfort of one’s home bring an extra level of reassurance, safety and convenience to women experiencing menopause-related MSK symptoms.

4. Do solutions treat the whole person? Menopause includes 34 different symptoms. Changes to mindsets and behavior are deeply interlinked with physical changes. Therefore, solutions that take a holistic approach and combine education, coaching, lifestyle changes and physical therapy are more likely to be effective than exercises alone.

5. Does the care adjust over time? Menopause symptoms last around 7 years. As a result, menopause care must adjust throughout this time. It’s important to set expectations and provide education for women approaching menopause. During perimenopause, it’s helpful for women to cultivate habits that increase core strength and support pelvic floor muscle health. As symptoms arise and change, the care experience needs to be dynamic and respond to evolving needs.

The Case for Closing the Menopause Benefits Gap

Employers who do not provide women experiencing menopause symptoms with options in the workplace pay the price over time.

First, they risk losing high performing talent. As many as 17% of women leave the workforce at the peak of their careers due to symptoms of menopause. Given today’s labor shortages, in many industries, employers must ask whether they can afford to lose valuable employees to conditions that can be effectively treated through proven solutions like pelvic floor physical therapy and whole person care.

Second, they contend with lower workplace productivity and bear higher medical costs. A study of women with untreated menopause symptoms revealed that this population has significantly higher medical, pharmacy, and sick leave costs, as well as lower hourly and annual productivity, compared to women of similar age, without these symptoms.

Employers can’t afford to lose productive, loyal employees to treatable medical issues like menopause[1]related pelvic health conditions. There’s no better time for companies and benefits teams to send a positive message to female employees, improve productivity and save on their own healthcare costs, by closing the benefits gap and incorporating a pelvic health solution into their health plan.

Healthcare