Menopause Support: Employers & Politicians Guide

Around nine million women in Germany are currently going through menopause. For many people this is unpleasant: insomnia, sweating, pain, concentration problems, weight gain, fluctuating mood – the body suddenly functions differently.

Women learn early on that their own bodies become more inventive over the years when it comes to hormonal symptoms. The good news: There is medical help for such symptoms, such as hormone therapy during menopause. But the support must also reach women.

Menopause is becoming a political issue

Many of those affected report that even when they visit a gynecologist, the answer to pain and other problems is often nothing more than: You can’t change it, the woman just has to put up with it.

But it’s not just a problem that women have to deal with themselves. The topic also occupied the state parliament in plenary and committee last year. Are there enough doctors available, is there enough information, are there gaps in medical studies, what can be done for women in the workplace, how can the topic be brought out of the taboo zone? The private and intimate is also political.

FDP MP Knell: Fobbed off with half-knowledge and misdiagnoses

Last year, FDP MP Wiebke Knell submitted a motion to the state parliament on the subject of women’s health: “It’s crazy how bad the issue of women’s health is and how great the lack of knowledge in this area still is,” she says.

The FDP application criticizes that the topic is neglected in medicine, that there is a lack of the necessary advice centers and in-depth training in medical studies. There are levers where politics could start, says Knell – for example in universities and healthcare. Too many women are “fobbed off with half-knowledge or misdiagnoses.”

Knell’s motion was discussed in plenary. Other parties also asserted that there is a need to improve health care for women.

Hormones are rarely a topic in studies

From the perspective of Miriam Schuchhardt, she is a gynecologist in a clinic in northern Hesse, there is also a lot of catching up to do: “If men were affected by all of these symptoms, these topics would have been of general and scientific interest for a long time,” she says. In medical studies, hormones are only taught in a few lectures. Hormone replacement therapy can be very helpful for many women, but requires proper diagnosis and medical care.

In the end, it currently depends on the doctors whether they voluntarily continue their training on the topic; there are good offers for this, says Schuchhardt. General practitioners should also be knowledgeable, because even very unspecific symptoms such as heart palpitations, water retention and shoulder pain can, if in doubt, be related to hormones.

“It’s shocking how few women are picked up,” says Schuchhardt. When it comes to other topics, she also experiences in everyday hospital life that it is not uncommon for women to have symptoms for years and then to be completely shocked when they first find out about endometriosis in the clinic – a chronic and very painful disease that can affect around ten to 15 percent of women from puberty onwards.

Gynecologist: “Become an expert on your own body”

Last year, in addition to her job, Schuchhardt offered a “menopausal driving license,” an information day for affected women. The demand was very high, she reports. It is important that women get information and help, even if it is sometimes difficult to find suitable doctors.

Her advice: “Be persistent, get as much information as possible, become an expert on your own body,” says Schuchhardt, “we have to make ourselves strong and know our bodies and our hormones.”

She also sees an economic factor: If there were more prevention and hormonal support from doctors, savings could be made elsewhere in the health system when it comes to subsequent problems, says Schuchhardt. Hormone deficiency also increases the risk of other illnesses, which can result in costs again.

60 percent of those affected think they have to go through it

Studies also show that care and education are not where they could be. One Forsa survey from 2023 Women aged 45 to 60 came to the conclusion:

• 93 percent of women report menopausal symptoms
• 40 percent are doing something about it, only 12 percent of them with hormone therapy
• 60 percent do nothing about the complaints – the most common reason given is the opinion that nothing can be done
• 53 percent Don’t talk about the topic at work out of shame

According to another study from the year 2022 50 percent of those surveyed reported that they felt only poorly or moderately informed about treatment options. Even their own gynecologist is apparently not always helpful; 37 percent found the advice mediocre or bad.

Debates in the state parliament

Menopause is a topic on social media, books about it have become bestsellers – and something is also happening in the state parliament and the state government when it comes to women’s health.

As early as February 2025, the CDU and SPD parliamentary groups stated in their own motion that the issue of menopause affects millions of women, with implications for the health system and the world of work. The parliamentary groups also spoke out in favor of better training for doctors.

But nothing has happened since the debates last year, says Knell. The FDP application was rejected and referred to the health committee. The state government then promised to take care of it itself. The government must now be measured against this promise, says Knell.

State government: “Important concern”

The state government responded to questions from the HR about plans, measures and care for the issue of menopause. For Health Minister Diana Stolz (CDU), women’s health is an important concern in research, care and prevention, “which she is committed to.”

And further: “More attention, better data, targeted education and stronger networking between actors are essential building blocks for sustainably improving health care for women.”

The Ministry of Science is also pushing forward gender-sensitive medical research: “gender-specific aspects” are being “diverse and increasingly integrated.”

Menopause breakfast

The ministry does not see a supply bottleneck in the outpatient sector. On the contrary: As of April 2025, there is more of an oversupply in some regions, according to the HR question.

A parliamentary breakfast on the topic of menopause is also planned, and the ministry also referred to existing offers: the university hospitals in Frankfurt and Gießen/Marburg have research focuses and also offer consultation hours on the topic of hormones and menopause. These universities would also support specialist training in the area of ​​hormones.

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Menopause also affects work

There is another economic aspect of the menopause that has now also been noticed by politicians: Anyone who suffers from malaise, heat attacks, psychological problems such as depression, concentration problems and other complaints during the menopause will, in doubt, also have problems or absences from work due to illness.

According to the Forsa survey, a third of those surveyed have changed careers because of the complaints or are thinking about reducing working hours or working more from home.

Help at work?

This corresponds to figures from the Hessian Ministry of Labor and Social from last year. According to a study, almost one in three people surveyed missed work because of menopausal symptoms. A quarter said they had reduced their working hours. One in ten respondents said they would retire earlier because of this.

The paper shows some measures that employers could already implement: shower facilities, options for climate regulation in the workplace, relaxation rooms, more exchange and flexible working time models.

“Unfavorable working conditions that do not take menopause into account can, under certain circumstances, increase the symptoms of affected women and impair their well-being at work,” it says, along with the recommendation to expand suitable measures in companies.