Perimenopause hit work for 47% of UK women and mental health for 73%: Aviva

Nearly half of women going through perimenopause in the UK say their symptoms have affected their ability to work, and almost three in four say it has affected their mental health, according to a Menopause Report published by the insurer Aviva on October 13, 2026, ahead of World Menopause Day on October 18. The report is based on a nationally representative survey of 2,436 UK women aged 35 to 64, carried out for Aviva by Truth Consulting in October 2025. It finds that many women fear menopause could cut their working lives short, and that most would trust an employer more if it offered open support and information.

Perimenopause is the stage when hormone levels change in the years before periods stop. The survey's age range, 35 to 64, covers the years when many women are at their most experienced at work and may be moving into senior roles. When symptoms go unrecognised or unsupported, the result can be lost confidence, reduced hours or leaving a job altogether.

The Aviva findings put numbers on that risk. If more than a third of women in this stage fear leaving work early, and one in ten has already changed role, employers stand to lose skilled staff at the height of their careers. That also feeds the wider gap in women's pay, pensions and representation in leadership, because a career that ends or narrows in the forties or fifties earns and saves less.

The report also points to what helps. The most wanted changes are not expensive: flexibility over hours and location, a culture in which women can mention symptoms without embarrassment, a clear written policy, and a route to medical advice. Dr Subashini M, Medical Director at Aviva UK Health, said supporting employees through menopause can help employers build trust and inclusion. Aviva also notes that, under recent UK employment law changes, larger employers with 250 or more staff are encouraged, but not required, to consider structured menopause support.

Readers should note that Aviva sells health insurance and workplace health services, including menopause support, so it has a commercial interest in the subject. The survey was also carried out a year before publication. Even so, the findings are in line with what women describe in many workplaces: the difficulty is often less about the symptoms themselves than about feeling unable to talk about them.

Short-term: The report adds to the attention around World Menopause Day on October 18, when many employers review their health and wellbeing policies. Women may find it easier to raise symptoms with managers or HR.

Long-term: Workplaces that offer flexible working, trained managers and access to medical advice could keep more experienced women in work through their forties and fifties, protecting their earnings, pensions and chances of reaching senior roles.

Who is affected: Women in their late thirties to sixties, especially those in perimenopause; line managers and HR teams; employers trying to keep experienced staff; and families who depend on the income of working women in midlife.

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