Menopause and work: Addressing the unspoken barrier to productivity

The silent workplace disruption

Menopause affects half the workforce¹, yet it remains largely unspoken in corporate America.

Hot flashes, brain fog, sleep disruptions, pelvic discomfort. These aren’t minor inconveniences. They’re real symptoms that derail productivity, confidence, and even careers². For many women, menopause hits during peak leadership years. Without adequate support, they are more likely to miss work, struggle to maintain productivity, or even leave their roles entirely³.

Most benefits strategies overlook this reality. That silence costs women their health and costs companies their top performers.

This article breaks that silence. We’ll explore how menopause impacts work, why conventional care often falls short, and how digital health solutions like Bloom by Sword Health empower women with discreet, effective, clinically guided support.

What menopause really feels like at work

Menopause is not a one-size-fits-all experience. Symptoms can begin during perimenopause (typically in the 40s) and persist for years².

Common workplace-disruptive symptoms include:

• Night sweats and insomnia leading to daytime fatigue²
• Hot flashes during meetings or presentations²
• Mood shifts and anxiety that affect collaboration²
• Difficulty concentrating and memory lapses ("brain fog")²
• Pelvic discomfort or pain that makes sitting or standing painful²

These symptoms disrupt workflows and reduce confidence. They also quietly push talented women out of leadership paths, limiting career progression and reducing representation at senior levels².

Why women don’t speak up, and why that’s a problem

Despite its widespread impact, menopause remains taboo in many workplaces. Women often stay silent about their symptoms due to:

• Fear of being perceived as less competent
• Lack of policies or structures to support disclosure
• Discomfort discussing deeply personal health issues at work

This silence leads to missed support opportunities. Nearly 1 in 5 women have considered leaving work due to menopause symptoms⁴, yet few employers even track the issue⁴.

The business cost of doing nothing

When women suffer in silence, companies suffer too. Consider the ripple effects:

• Absenteeism: Missed workdays due to fatigue, migraines, or pelvic pain
• Presenteeism: Showing up but unable to perform at full capacity
• Turnover: Mid-career women exiting the workforce entirely

This is not just a wellness issue. It’s a talent and business continuity issue.

Women over 45 now represent the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. labor force¹. Ignoring their health needs means losing institutional knowledge, leadership continuity, and engagement from one of the most experienced cohorts in your workforce².

Why current benefits don’t go far enough

Most traditional benefits include general wellness or OB-GYN access. But that’s rarely enough to address the complex, multi-symptom nature of menopause. Few plans offer:

• Menopause-specific treatment programs
• Pelvic floor therapy for related symptoms
• Mental health support tailored to hormonal changes

This creates a care gap. Women are left to navigate symptoms alone, or bounce between fragmented care options. Many delay treatment or go without it entirely⁶.

How digital care bridges the menopause gap

Many traditional healthcare options fall short for women experiencing menopause. Clinic-based care requires time off work, travel, and the courage to discuss deeply personal symptoms with a stranger. All of these are barriers that prevent many from seeking the help they need. Pelvic health concerns, especially, carry added stigma and discomfort.

Digital pelvic health care changes that. It meets women where they are, allowing them to receive expert care privately, conveniently, and consistently, from their homes, on their own schedules. This format is not only easier to access but also clinically effective⁷, helping women manage physical, mental, and emotional challenges more successfully.

Programs like Bloom by Sword Health provide:

• Expert-led care: Every member is paired with a Doctor of Physical Therapy specializing in pelvic health.
• Innovative tech: Bloom includes the Bloom Pod, an intravaginal sensor that offers real-time biofeedback via a mobile app.
• Personalized education: Clinically validated content tailored to each woman’s symptoms and goals.

This approach eliminates common care barriers:

• No commutes or wait times
• Sessions on the member’s schedule, including evenings and weekends (50% after-hours; 22% on weekends⁸)
• Discreet, stigma-free access in a private setting

For working women (especially those in leadership roles or juggling care responsibilities), this flexibility is essential. They no longer need to choose between their careers and their health.

Digital pelvic health care doesn’t just support better outcomes. It empowers women with knowledge, reduces absenteeism, and boosts confidence.

Sword Bloom is designed for women’s real working lives

Bloom is built to remove barriers to care. Women navigating menopause often juggle demanding schedules, caregiving responsibilities, and high-stakes roles, leaving little time or energy to prioritize their own health. Bloom understands this reality.

The program is specifically tailored for working women, with a flexible, asynchronous model that fits into even the busiest lives. 

It is inclusive by design: ~25% of members are from underrepresented minority groups, and 90% of menopause-related users are employed full- or part-time⁴. 

Sessions can happen outside typical business hours, and members don’t have to travel or rearrange their schedules to attend an appointment. They can complete care from the privacy of home, at a time that suits their schedule.

Importantly, Bloom is inclusive by design. It supports women of all ages, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and education levels. Around 25% of members are from underrepresented minority groups⁴, and 90% of those using Bloom for menopause-related concerns are employed full- or part-time⁴. Bloom also supports transgender individuals navigating menopausal transitions.

By meeting women where they are, Bloom enables more of them to get the help they need. This expert pelvic care is delivered comfortably, confidently, and consistently, with proven results.

What is Bloom?

Bloom by Sword Health is a digital pelvic health program designed to support women experiencing bladder leakage, pelvic pain, urgency, prolapse, and other menopause-related symptoms. It delivers high-quality care through three integrated components:

• Clinical experts – Every Bloom member is paired with a Pelvic Health Specialist who holds a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and advanced pelvic health training.
• Innovative technology – The Bloom Pod is an intravaginal biofeedback device that connects to the Bloom mobile app. It delivers real-time sensor feedback during guided exercises.
• Tailored education – Bloom includes a robust library of clinician-developed educational content that evolves based on the user’s symptoms, goals, and progress.

The result is a clinically validated and stigma-free alternative for women with pelvic pain. Bloom addresses the broader experience of menopause. This includes not just the physical symptoms of associated pain, but also the emotional, mental, and professional impacts.

How Bloom helps women in menopause

Menopause can be a disruptive life stage, but it doesn’t have to derail a woman’s health, confidence, or career. Bloom helps women regain control by offering:

• Pelvic symptom relief — supports recovery from bladder/bowel leakage, urgency, and prolapse through targeted pelvic floor therapy⁷.
• Improved mental health — 50% reduction in severe depression; 53% reduction in anxiety symptoms⁷.
• Higher productivity — 56% reduction in missed or underproductive workdays in menopause-focused use cases⁷.
• Avoidance of unnecessary care — 67% of members reduce or eliminate additional interventions⁷.

Bloom addresses menopause-related symptoms early and effectively so women can stay focused, engaged, and thriving at work.

The results of improved pelvic health obviously have a huge impact on the quality of life of the patient, and also for the employers and health plans who depend on their talent and leadership.

How well does Bloom work for women in menopause?

For employers looking to support women in their workforce, Bloom’s solution offers powerful results that can improve menopause-related, pelvic-health symptoms, quality of life, and work productivity:

Bloom’s data shows that this model works.

In menopause-focused use cases⁷:

• 65% of members report improvement in how their pelvic-health symptoms affect their lives
• 56% report reduced absenteeism and presenteeism
• 67% reduce their intent to seek further interventions
• 50% see a reduction in severe depression
• 53% report improved anxiety symptoms

Digital-first care models like Bloom deliver strong results. Women report high satisfaction with the experience. Employers and health plans can easily scale the benefit to more people without adding clinical burden.

Digital women’s health solutions like Bloom are designed to meet women where they are: at home, on their own schedule, and with privacy.

This model removes logistical and psychological barriers to care. It boosts engagement, improves symptoms, and reduces absence. All while protecting privacy.

When women can address their symptoms early and consistently, they stay healthier, more confident, and more present at work.

The time to act is now

Menopause affects more than 50 million women in the U.S. Many are your managers, team leads, and decision-makers. Supporting their health is not a perk. It’s a strategic imperative.

Digital pelvic health programs like Bloom help employers fill a long-ignored care gap with evidence-based, private, and scalable support.

The result: Healthier employees. Lower absenteeism. Greater engagement. And a workplace where women feel empowered to lead through every life stage.