Why Understanding the Average Age of Menopause Could Help You Keep Top Talent

In the UK, the average age for menopause is 51. Most women experience it somewhere between 45 and 55. If you think about your workforce, that’s probably when many of your most experienced people are hitting their stride – leading teams, mentoring others, carrying decades of knowledge about how your business actually works.

Yet menopause barely gets mentioned in most workplace wellbeing conversations. And that silence is costing companies some of their best people.

When Menopause Meets Career Peaks

Frustratingly, menopause often happens just when women are reaching senior positions. They’re managing big teams, making strategic decisions, being the go-to person for complex problems. At the same time, they might be dealing with brain fog, sleepless nights, anxiety, or crushing fatigue.

One in ten women leave their jobs because of menopause symptoms. When someone at that career level walks out the door, they’re not just taking their current role with them – they’re taking years of relationships, institutional knowledge, and leadership experience that’s almost impossible to replace.

It’s Not Just About Age 51

While 51 is the average, menopause doesn’t follow a timetable. Perimenopause can start in a woman’s late 30s. Some women experience premature menopause before 40 (about 1 in 100 women). Others don’t go through it until their late 50s.

This means you can’t just look at someone’s age and think you know where they are in the process. The woman in her early 40s might be struggling with symptoms while the 55-year-old might be sailing through without issues.

What Happens When Nobody Talks About It

The workplace impact is real, even when it’s invisible. Symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, mood changes, anxiety, and hot flushes don’t just affect how someone feels – they affect how they work.

But here’s what makes it worse: most women feel they can’t mention it. Even in companies that talk about inclusion and wellbeing, menopause often feels off-limits. Women worry that admitting they’re struggling will make them look less capable or damage their credibility.

So they suffer quietly, their performance dips, and eventually some of them leave. Their managers never understand why a previously strong performer suddenly seemed disengaged or why a loyal employee decided to quit.

Making Support Normal, Not Awkward

Supporting women through menopause doesn’t mean making a big deal about it or singling anyone out. It means creating an environment where help is available without drama.

Understanding that menopause typically happens around age 51 can help HR teams time their awareness campaigns and manager training. But the key is making support available to everyone without assumptions about who needs it.

Start with practical changes: flexible working hours, access to cool spaces, clear policies about menopause support. Then work on the culture piece – training managers to recognise symptoms, creating space for honest conversations, and making it normal to ask for adjustments.

The goal is professional support that doesn’t feel patronising or embarrassing.

Why Menopause Speakers Can Help

Sometimes the best way to start talking about something is to bring in someone who knows what they’re talking about. Menopause speakers can explain the medical side, share real experiences, and help teams understand what support actually looks like.

They can answer the questions people have but don’t ask: What exactly is happening during menopause? How might it show up at work? What can managers do that actually helps?

Good speakers use a mix of expertise, lived experience, and often humor to make the topic approachable rather than medical or scary.

Some speakers to consider:

Dr Nighat Arif – An NHS GP who specialises in women’s health. She combines medical knowledge with practical advice about workplace support.

Andrea McLean – A broadcaster and author who talks openly about her own menopause experience and how it led to career changes and personal growth. Andrea is the number 1 best-selling author of ‘Confessions of a Menopausal Woman.’

Sharon MacArthur (Miss Menopause) – A loveable Geordie, known for her straightforward approach to menopause education and workplace training. Sharon offers menopause quizzes, lunch and learn sessions and a dialogue that feels anything but awkward.

The Bottom Line

Knowing that menopause typically happens around age 51, but can be much earlier or much later dependent on the individual, is a key piece of information to prepare your workforce. When you understand the timing, you can be proactive instead of reactive.

You can train managers before they’re dealing with a situation they don’t understand. You can put policies in place before people need them. You can create a culture where asking for support feels normal rather than risky.

The women going through menopause are often some of your most experienced employees. They’ve trained new hires and know your business inside and out. Losing them because nobody wanted to talk about a natural life stage doesn’t make business sense.

If you’re thinking about bringing menopause awareness into your workplace, consider booking a speaker who can start the conversation in a way that feels informative rather than awkward. 

Sometimes an outside voice can say things that internal teams find harder to address.