Research Insights on Menopause

AARP Research has explored menopause from several different points of view. This includes a study focusing on brain and mental health outcomes during the different stages of menopause (pre-menopause, perimenopause, and post-menopause) along with their relationship to engagement in brain healthy behaviors sometimes referred to as the six pillars of brain health — maintaining a well-balanced diet, staying social, exercising, managing stress, regularly getting enough restorative sleep, and engaging in mentally stimulating activities. 

Other research on menopause highlighted the impact of this transition and its symptoms on women’s work life and personal life as well as their need for information and resources, and affordable treatments. This research continues to represent an opportunity for employers, health care providers, the marketplace, and policy makers to improve the health and well-being of women in midlife and eliminate the damaging stigma that is often attached to this natural life transition.

 

MENOPAUSE AND BRAIN HEALTH

Stress, anxiety, and depression appear to heighten during the perimenopause stage but often coincide with other life events and stressors.

• Women in the post-menopause stage fare better than other women on the key outcome measures of stress, anxiety, depression, and mental well-being. Perimenopause coincides with other life events for women. This may include children moving out, financial stress, caring for aging parents, and career stress. External stressors and hormone fluctuations together may be the perfect storm that influences mental health outcomes. Some of these stressors along with hormone fluctuations may subside during the post-menopause stage. [Source: Menopause and Brain Health: Women Ages 35-Plus, fielded June 2025.]
• Women in the perimenopause stage fare worse than other women. Women in perimenopause are significantly more likely to experience mood swings and brain fog compared to other women. Additionally, women who experience brain fog fare worse on mental health outcomes compared to women who do not experience brain fog. [Source: Menopause and Brain Health: Women Ages 35-Plus, fielded June 2025.]

Research shows frequent engagement in brain-healthy behaviors may benefit mental health outcomes for women in the menopause transition.

The good news is that there is a relationship between engagement in brain-healthy behaviors and outcomes. Frequent engagement in brain-healthy behaviors – the six pillars of brain health – benefits U.S. women age 35-plus, regardless of where they are in the menopause transition. Survey results show women who frequently engage in brain-healthy behaviors have better mental health outcomes and fewer brain health challenges compared to women who engage in these behaviors less often. [Source: Menopause and Brain Health: Women Ages 35-Plus, fielded June 2025.]

 

IMPACT ON WORK AND LIFE

Menopause symptoms have a negative impact on life and work for many women.

• Over half (53%) of U.S. women in some phase of menopause say this transition has a negative (16%) or mixed (37%) impact on their sense of self, with women in perimenopause more likely than those further along in menopause to feel this way (negative impact: perimenopause, 30%; menopause, 22%; postmenopause, 10%; mixed impact: perimenopause, 54%; menopause, 55%; postmenopause, 29%). Interestingly, 6 in 10 women in postmenopause say it has no impact (31%) or has a positive impact (29%) on their sense of self.  [Source: Women's Aging Journey, Menopause and Media Representation, fielded July 31–August 21, 2024.]
  
• Half (49%) of all female workers 35 and older say menopause has a negative impact on their day-to-day life and 4 in 10 (39%) say it has a negative impact on their work life, with mood symptoms (24%) and hot flashes or sweating (22%) topping the list, followed by headaches and joint/muscle pain, urinary and vaginal problems, and cognitive and concentration issues. Still, some female workers report that menopause has no impact on their work life (49%) or their day-to-day life (31%). [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]
• Many U.S. employers report that they would characterize the impact of menopause on their female workers as negative (37%), while 40% say this transition has had no impact or they just aren’t sure.  Only 23% say menopause has had a positive impact on their female workers.  [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]
• Most women (75%) ages 40 to 89 say their menopause symptoms interfere with their lives, with 1 in 10 (9%) saying they interfere a great deal or are debilitating. [Source: Menopause Experiences: Providers Can Do Better in Educating, Starting the Conversation, fielded April 2018.]

 

Female workers power through the workday despite the discomfort of menopause symptoms.

• Over half (55%) of female workers 35 and older report taking no days off work over a year to manage their menopause symptoms, and just 22% say they’ve taken between one and five days off work.  Not surprisingly, as the number of reported symptoms increases, the likelihood of missed days of work also increases. [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]
• Conversely, only 16% of employers report that female workers have taken zero days off over a year due to menopause and 17% say female workers have taken one to five days off.  But many (39%) employers admit it’s hard for them to say or they aren’t sure how many days their female workers have taken off over a year due to menopause symptoms.  [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]

 

There is clearly a need for information and resources on menopause among women and employers.

• Among all women in any phase of menopause, most (80%) have looked for information related to menopause in a variety of places with health professionals, friends and the internet being the top mentions. [Source:  Women's Aging Journey, Menopause and Media Representation, fielded July 31–August 21, 2024]
• Only 4% of female workers 35 and older report that information and guides for workers and managers about menopause are offered by their employer and nearly two-thirds (63%) want them to be offered.  [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]
• Moreover, employers acknowledge a need for information on menopause: Over a quarter (28%) say they do not offer menopause information or guides to workers or managers but over 2 in 3 (68%) would find this type of information useful. [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]

 

TREATMENTS

Women need effective and low-cost treatments for menopause symptoms.

• Nonmedical approaches to treating menopause symptoms, such as vitamins and supplements, diet changes and cannabis, are more common than medical treatments like hormone replacement therapy. For example, nearly half (45%) of female workers 35 and older have used supplements, while just 15% have tried hormone replacement therapy.  [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]
• Yet almost three-quarters (72%) say they want their employer to provide access to hormone replacement therapy. Another two-thirds (68%) would like to see their employer cover alternative treatments for menopause symptoms. Additionally, most (70%) would like access to menopause health professionals.  [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]
• Combined co-pays and out-of-pocket spending on medical and nonmedical treatments together is costing U.S. women in menopause about $13 billion a year.  [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]

 

STIGMA

There is a stigma attached to menopause in society, the media and the workplace. 

• At least 1 in 7 women in any phase of menopause are concerned about being stereotyped, treated differently or discriminated against based on menopause in media and advertisements (21% concerned), in personal interactions (18% concerned), when getting service from a business they are a customer or client of (17% concerned) or at work (14% concerned).  [Source: Women's Aging Journey, Menopause and Media Representation, fielded July 31–August 21, 2024.]
• Nearly 4 in 10 female workers 35-plus and employers think society at large has a negative view of menopause (workers, 38%; employers, 39%). [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]
• Similarly, few women along the menopause continuum say that being in this transition has a positive impact on how society values them (positive impact: total, 7%; perimenopause, 5%; menopause, 12%; postmenopause, 7%). [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]
• When it comes to the corporate culture toward menopause at their organizations, sizeable proportions of female workers 35-plus and employers describe it as uncomfortable, misunderstood, stigmatized, taboo (workers, 23%; employers, 21%) or just not discussed (workers, 38%; employers, 31%).
  [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]

 

WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE

Change is happening but more work needs to be done.

• Over half (54%) of U.S. adult women agree that employers need to do more to support workers in menopause. [Source: Women's Aging Journey, Menopause and Media Representation, fielded July 31–August 21, 2024.] The same proportion of women 35 and older (54%) feel the same way.  [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]
• Employers acknowledge there is more for them to do, with most (73%) agreeing employers need to do more to support workers in menopause. [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]
• Two in 3 (65%) women believe U.S. policy makers need to do more to ensure all women can access high-quality, personalized menopause care and treatment, including access to hormone replacement therapy.  [Source: Women's Aging Journey, Menopause and Media Representation, fielded July 31–August 21, 2024.]  This is consistent with the views of female workers 35-plus (64%) who also want policy makers to do more to support women in menopause.  [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]
• Likewise, most employers (74%) would like policy makers to do more to ensure all women can access high-quality, personalized menopause care and treatment, including access to hormone replacement therapy. [Source: Economic Impact of Menopause: Individual and Collective Costs, fielded September 2023.]

Return to AARP Research Insights