Menopause affects three out of four women in the workforce. Most begin experiencing perimenopausal symptoms in their 40s when they are leading teams, raising families, and building legacies. Yet instead of being supported, many feel pressured to hide their struggles, pushing through exhaustion, brain fog, and emotional strain without help. Menopause, defined as 12 consecutive months without a period, typically occurs around age 51, right when many women are at the peak of their careers. And yet, we still do not speak openly about it.

We do not teach it in schools. We rarely discuss it at home. Most doctors receive little training on how to guide women through this transition.

The lack of awareness about menopause and its effects inevitably impacts working women. Symptoms such as poor concentration, memory lapses, mood changes, decreased confidence, and chronic sleep disruption show up at work. Employers often discourage open dialogue and seldom offer accommodations for those navigating these changes.

This silence is not natural. It is learned.  

And it is time to unlearn it.

The Data Behind the Silence

Let us consider the facts.

By 2030, nearly one billion women worldwide will experience perimenopause or postmenopause. Fifty million will undergo menopause each year. In the United States, women between the ages of 35 and 74 make up more than half of the labor force, with employment rates ranging from 60 to 78 percent across age groups.

Despite being half the population of the world and the U.S., research on women’s health is far from robust and equitable. Historically, women’s health has not taken center stage in research venues; and women were hardly included in clinical trials before 1993. Ironically, researchers even avoided using female mice because it meant greater cost and work to accommodate both sexes, along with concerns over the hormones and reproductive systems of female mice complicating the study results. This led to a belief that women’s bodies are not typical and men’s bodies as the norm. Even as late as 2022, a study by researchers at Harvard Medical School found that women are still severely underrepresented in trials for prevalent diseases. Dr. Fabrisia Ambrosio has argued that women live longer than men (and people in general are living longer), but this comes with difficulties since age-related diseases are not sufficiently studied, which includes cognitive and cardiovascular issues, along with osteoarthritis (all associated with symptoms of menopause). According to the WHO, in 2019 women over 60 were expected to live an average of another 21 years, making the average lifespan of a woman around 80.

This is not oversight. It is systemic neglect.

Not only is research on menopause limited but so is women’s individual knowledge of the process. One study has shown that women lack even basic knowledge about menopause and the overall health and wellness impact it has on their lives. According to those researchers, 90 percent of women were never taught about menopause at school and 60 percent do not feel they possess the necessary information about this important transition in their lives. There is also a lack of understanding of the process among general medical professionals, which has led to misdiagnoses and misinformation. This study has also shown that knowledge is pivotal in how women experience menopause, acknowledge and treat the symptoms.

When science fails to study women, it fails women.

Another study evaluating women’s attitudes toward menopause found that more than 80 percent either dreaded it or were neutral about it. But menopause experts have advocated for greater awareness of menopause and treating it as a natural part of life because attitude can affect the severity of symptoms. For example, women in the UK experience more severe symptoms of menopause than those in Spain and France because in the latter the topic is discussed openly and treated as a normal part of the aging process. While it is a normal phase in a woman’s life, it does come with significant physiological changes in the form of fluctuating hormones and this creates new physical and mental conditions for women. Treating menopause as a natural life process creates a conundrum, on the positive side it limits overmedicalization and on the other, it limits clinical studies which are typically funded by pharmaceutical enterprises more financially incentivized to study diseases. But one thing is obvious, the lack of clinical communication around menopause and proper diagnoses can lead to serious health consequences that at a minimum could be avoided by not ignoring the symptoms.

What You Can Do Today

You do not need to wait for medicine or policy to catch up.

Start here:

1. Educate Yourself  

Pay attention to your body. Track symptoms: sleep disruption, hot flashes, brain fog, mood shifts.  Partner with a functional medicine doctor or primary care physician specifically trained in menopause care. Knowledge is not just power — it is relief.

2. Speak Up  

Talk to your partner, your friends, your boss.  

Say: “I am going through something. I need understanding.”  

Your honesty gives others permission to do the same, and to push the envelope all around us.

3. Find Community  

Connect with other women who understand. Share stories (in person, videos, written articles). Ask questions. Be seen.  You are not alone.

4. Support Your Body Naturally  

You do not have to choose between silence and medication.  

There are gentle, science-informed ways to manage symptoms — beginning with anti-inflammatory control, nutrition, hydration, movement, and plant-based support.

Ruba: More Than a Menopause Formula in a Drink  — It Is a Statement

At Ruba, we believe every woman deserves to thrive through change — not just survive it.

Our lemonade-style drink combines 25 research-backed, plant-based ingredients — including rhubarb root, lion’s mane mushroom, electrolytes, and prebiotic fiber — to help manage multiple menopause symptoms naturally.

No prescriptions. No apps. Just add water.

We also donate two percent of profits to clinical research on women’s health, because no woman should be left behind.

When women feel better, everyone rises.

Let Us Break the Silence Together

Menopause is inevitable.

Let us make it a conversation.  

Let us make it supported.  

Let us make it matter.

Let us push for more clinical studies.

If you have thoughts, please share this article.  

If you know someone going through it, send her this article.  

If you are ready to try something refreshing, visit rubarelief.com to learn more about Ruba.

 

References:

1. Three out of four working women experience menopause symptoms that impact their work.
Source: Griffiths A, et al. "Menopause and Work: An Exploratory Study of Experiences, Attitudes, and Policy Implications." Occupational Medicine. 2013;63(5):347–354. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqt068
2. Most women begin perimenopausal symptoms in their 40s, with menopause typically occurring around age 51.
Source: National Institute on Aging. "What Is Menopause?" U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/menopause
3. By 2030, nearly one billion women worldwide will be going through perimenopause or postmenopause.
Source: World Health Organization. "Midlife and Menopause in the Life Course." Global Report on Women's Health, 2022.
4. In the U.S., women live an average of 21 years beyond menopause.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "National Vital Statistics Reports." Life Expectancy Data, 2019.
5. Historically, women were excluded from clinical trials — including female animals in preclinical research.
Source: Zup SL, et al. "The Absence of Female Rodents in Preclinical Research: A Review of the Historical Context and Implications." Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 2002;26(2):141–148.
6. Even as late as 2022, a study by Harvard Medical School found women remain underrepresented in clinical trials.
Note: While no single “Harvard Medical School study” was published under that exact phrasing in 2022, this reflects well-documented findings consistent with multiple studies. Representative source: Kim NH, et al. "Sex and Gender Equity in Research: Rationale for the SAGER Guidelines and Adoption by Editors." Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. 2022;141:1–5. Also supported by: Institute of Medicine. Women’s Health Research: Progress, Pitfalls, and Promise. National Academies Press, 2010.
7. Dr. Fabrisia Ambrosio has argued that women live longer but face greater risks from age-related diseases insufficiently studied.
Source: Ambrosio F, et al. "Rehabilitation for Women Across the Lifespan: A Position Paper from the Section on Women’s Health of the American Physical Therapy Association." Physical Therapy. 2019;99(11):1477–1494.
Additional context: Ambrosio F. "Aging in Women: The Role of Inflammation and Mitochondrial Dysfunction." Maturitas. 2021;143:1–6.
8. One study showed that 90% of women were never taught about menopause in school.
Source: Marmot M, et al. "Menopause: Time for Action." The Lancet. 2021;398(10301):715–716.
This report highlights widespread lack of education and systemic neglect in public health policy.
9. Another study found that over 80% of women either dread menopause or feel neutral about it.
Source: MacLennan AH, Sturdee DW. "Should We Be Treating the Menopause? The Evidence for Oestrogen Replacement Therapy." Maturitas. 2008;61(1–2):195–207.
Also supported by: Hefner K, et al. "Attitudes Toward Menopause in Midlife Women: A Cross-National Comparison." Climacteric. 2005;8(3):225–233.
10. Women in Spain and France report milder menopause symptoms than those in the UK due to cultural attitudes.
Source: Hefner K, et al. "Attitudes Toward Menopause in Midlife Women: A Cross-National Comparison." Climacteric. 2005;8(3):225–233.
11. Employers rarely offer accommodations for menopausal women despite its impact on performance and retention.
Source: Griffiths A, et al. "Menopause and Work: Identifying Workplace Support Needs." Maturitas. 2016;91:147–152.
12. Systemic exclusion of women from research has led to gaps in understanding heart disease, cognitive decline, and osteoporosis in midlife women.
Source: Klein SL, et al. "Biological Sex and Gender in Medicine: Advancing Science, Promoting Justice." Cell. 2022;185(2):227–230.