Mind the gap: menopause vs perimenopause
Opinion
Why has menopause had its moment, but perimenopause hasn’t? Supporting women through perimenopause, before they’ve reached breaking point, is an untapped retention opportunity.
A recent headline caught my eye in The Guardian. Experts warn that misinformation about perimenopause on social media is putting women at risk, leading some to believe they can no longer get pregnant, others to seek treatments they may not need, and potentially masking different health conditions entirely.
My first thought wasn’t to worry about social media itself. Women talking openly about their health online is definitely a win. But I’m wondering why so many of us have to look there for answers in the first place?
Turns out, the answer isn’t that surprising. Only 14% of women say they learned about menopause from a healthcare professional. And two-thirds of social media posts about it are misleading. When trusted sources aren’t filling the gap, the internet will.
Despite real progress on menopause, perimenopause remains the missing chapter. Its symptoms – fatigue, mood changes, sleep disruption and brain fog- are not the hot flushes most commonly associated with menopause. Perimenopause doesn’t come with a timetable. Or, for most women, any kind of heads up at all.
Over the last few years, menopause has rightly had its moment. High-profile campaigners, increased media attention and more open conversations have helped bring what was once a taboo topic firmly into the mainstream (thank you, Davina McCall).
Women are more informed, employers are paying more attention, and workplace support is beginning to catch up. And most recently, the Employment Rights Act 2025 has put menopause on employers’ formal agendas, with large organisations required to publish Menopause Action Plans from April 2026.
That’s all positive progress, right?
The knowledge gap hiding in plain sight
For something that can last for years, and in some cases up to a decade, there is still little understanding about what perimenopause actually looks like.
Symptoms are wide-ranging, often gradual, and easily dismissed as something else entirely. Tinnitus, anyone? Few people would reach for perimenopause as an explanation. Yet it’s on the list.
Amongst my friends, conversations about feeling generally “out of sync” have become increasingly common, but barely any of us had considered perimenopause as a possible explanation at first.
But it seems we’re not alone. A UCL study published in October 2025 found that more than three-quarters of women feel they are not well-informed enough about menopause, with less than a quarter reporting feeling well-informed about the transition.
The Menopause Mandate’s 2025 Mega Survey, conducted in partnership with UCL’s Menopause Mind Lab and drawing on responses from over 15,000 women, found that 42% of respondents were perimenopausal – a reminder that perimenopause is not a footnote to this conversation. It is half of it.
Women are actively looking for answers. The challenge is ensuring they’re finding reliable ones.
The retention issue hiding behind the health conversation
For our industry, this isn’t simply a health conversation. It’s a talent conversation.
Our industry depends on creativity, strategic thinking, collaboration, confidence and communication. These are exactly the capabilities that can be affected when women are navigating symptoms they don’t fully understand, in workplaces that aren’t designed to support them.
Across perimenopausal and menopausal women, 77% said symptoms had negatively impacted them at work. Four in 10 had considered changing or quitting their jobs. One in 10 had actually done so.
These aren’t women stepping back from ambition. They’re stepping away from workplaces that make it harder to thrive.
From talking point to turning point.
More organisations are waking up to the fact that women’s health is a workplace issue. 37% of employers now offer menopause training or support, and 35% have a formal policy. Progress worth acknowledging.
But policies alone are only half the job.
And for women in perimenopause, that barrier is even higher. Without a clear diagnosis or label, asking for support means having to explain yourself first.
Policies can signal intent and create consistency. What they can’t do on their own is educate managers, challenge stigma or create the psychological safety that encourages women to ask for help.
The perception gap tells the story: 92% of HR decision-makers believe they’re meeting the needs of menopausal staff. Yet 40% of women say they’re unaware of any workplace policies.
Closing the peri-menopause gap
Real progress happens when policy is backed by education, communication and behaviour change. Supporting women through perimenopause, before they’ve reached breaking point, is the biggest untapped retention opportunity we have.
Some 60% of women said menopause benefits would make them more likely to recommend their employer. Retention isn’t a wellbeing initiative. It’s a competitive advantage.
WACL’s Be a Women’s Health Hero lever for change supports exactly this, helping organisations move from good intentions to practical action on women’s health, from periods and fertility through to perimenopause and menopause. Education and allyship matter just as much as policy.
Perimenopause is the next chapter
Menopause has successfully entered the mainstream conversation, and that’s something worth celebrating. But if menopause is the headline, perimenopause needs to be promoted to co-star.
For our industry, the opportunity isn’t simply to keep talking about women’s health. It’s to ensure women have access to trusted information, supportive policies and workplace cultures that help them succeed through every stage of their careers.
Awareness starts the conversation. Understanding turns it into progress.
Lianre Robinson is WACL (Women in Advertising and Communications, Leadership) campaigning co-chair and CEO of The Marketing Academy Foundation. Read her column for The Media Leader on the first Friday of every month.