In her late 40s, Celia Chen began experiencing unexplained symptoms like anxiety, a spike in blood sugar, acne and chronic pain in her shoulder — all of which she attributed to her high-pressure job as a marketing executive at a start-up, which involved red-eye flights and long hours.

After switching to a new gynaecologist, at 48, she learned that these changes were related to her transition to menopause, known as perimenopause. And that the stress of the job was only making them worse. Chen says her doctor told her, “‘Your body is screaming for you to stop.’”

Eventually, Chen changed her lifestyle and, after a few months, switched to working as a consultant, which allowed her to control her hours and stress levels.

Symptoms associated with the transition to menopause, which can last a decade, are often a drag on women’s careers and arise at a time when they may be stepping into larger executive roles. A study by the Mayo Clinic published this year found that 15 per cent of women either missed work or cut back on hours because of menopause symptoms, and that loss of productivity costs women an estimated $1.8 billion each year. Researchers in the UK also found that those who reported at least one disruptive menopausal symptom at age 50 were 43 per cent more likely to have left their jobs by age 55.

And so, in the same way that many companies looking to attract and retain talent have expanded their benefits packages to include fertility treatments, paid parental leave programmes and child care, some are now wrapping in menopause-specific care.

These benefits can include virtual access to the small pool of roughly 1,000 certified specialists in the US, who can be difficult to find locally, and coverage for often expensive hormone treatments that may not be included in some insurance plans.

For the healthcare company Sanofi, adding menopause perks were “a no-brainer”, said Nathalie Grenache, its senior vice-president of people and culture.

“If you feel truly supported throughout your life cycle, whether it is maternity or menopause, you’ll be more engaged,” she said. “I’m sure the new generation is more demanding on that.”

Providers of corporate support services for menopause say uptake has been fast. Peppy, a gender-inclusive telehealth company that was founded in 2018 in Britain, offers menopause support in workplaces and began offering services in the US in January. EBay, Nvidia, Wiley and Capgemini are all clients. In October, the healthcare benefits provider Maven launched a menopause product, which provides employees with app-based telehealth access to specialists and therapists as well as chat rooms to discuss their experiences and share resources. Within nine months, more than 150 companies had signed up, said Kate Ryder, its chief executive and founder. It has become “the fastest-selling product”, she added, “in the history of all Maven products.”

New York Times News Service