Menopause Symptoms Costing Canada’s Economy Billions, According to New Report

Deepti Neto, a 63-year-old real estate agent based in Toronto, was struggling to run her business on only three to four hours of sleep per night. Neto, who had always been a great sleeper, started experiencing insomnia and noticed a decline in her cognitive and communication abilities in 2013. After realizing her periods had become more sporadic, she suspected she may be experiencing perimenopausal symptoms. Neto tried herbal teas and acupuncture, but nothing seemed to help her sleep, which was negatively impacting her business. She visited her doctor, who couldn’t provide treatment until she had gone a full year without a period, as that is the benchmark for menopause. In the meantime, she was given antidepressants, which didn’t alleviate her symptoms. Eventually, Neto switched doctors and was prescribed menopause hormone therapy, which improved her sleep within a week or two. If she hadn’t advocated for her health, she may have never found a solution.

Menopause, combined with stigma, lack of workplace support, and debilitating symptoms, has a significant cost for the Canadian economy — an estimated $3.5 billion per year, according to a new report by the Menopause Foundation of Canada. The report reveals that unmanaged symptoms of menopause result in an estimated $237 million in lost productivity for employers annually. Additionally, women experience a financial burden of $3.3 billion due to reduced hours, diminished pay, or leaving the workforce entirely. The report also shows that 540,000 lost workdays per year can be attributed to menopause symptom management.

In Canada, there are over two million working women aged 45-55, which is the average age at which most women experience menopause. However, menopause is preceded by perimenopause, a stage that can last anywhere from two to 20 years. Post-menopause can then last for the remainder of a woman’s life. The report indicates that women spend up to half of their lives in a menopausal stage. Despite this, 46% of survey respondents say they are not prepared for this transition due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of the changes in their bodies and symptoms caused by hormonal fluctuations. Consequently, many women do not receive the necessary support, resulting in negative impacts on health, quality of life, and work productivity.

The report further reveals that more than one-third of working women feel that menopause symptoms negatively affect their work performance, and approximately one in 10 women will leave the workforce due to unmanaged symptoms. Moreover, 67% of women are uncomfortable discussing their symptoms with their supervisors, and almost half feel embarrassed to ask for help at work.

Teresa Isabel Dias, a pharmacist and certified menopause practitioner, emphasizes that menopause poses risks, such as the loss of estrogen which can impact bone density and heart health. To mitigate these risks, Dias encourages women to adopt a healthy lifestyle, including proper nutrition, hydration, regular exercise, and at least eight hours of sleep per night. She also advises women to be patient, have compassion for themselves while going through this process, and believe that they will reach the other side.

To break down the stigma surrounding menopause, Janet Ko, president and co-founder of the Menopause Foundation of Canada, suggests that workplaces play a crucial role. This can be done through information sessions, sharing resources on company websites, creating employee resource groups, and improving benefit plans to cover hormone therapy. Ko believes that when employers understand the prevalence of menopause in the workforce, they will begin to address it and provide the necessary support.