This toolkit provides guidance on supporting staff through the menopause at work. It explains the key issues and provides links to information and resources on the website.

Menopause is understood as the time during a person’s life when menstruation (periods) permanently stops. Officially, it is defined as occurring when there have been no periods for 12 consecutive months and no other biological or physiological cause can be identified. This can cause a chain reaction of physical and psychological side-effects to the female (and those assigned female at birth) body, some of which can last for a number of years.

Changing hormone levels can cause issues months or even years before the menopause; this is known as the perimenopause.

Most people go through menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, but it can happen at any point between 30 and 60 years of age. Symptoms last around four years on average, althoughone in 10 can experience them for up to 12 years.