Menopause at Work: Why The NHS 40+ Health Check Isn’t Enough and Why Women Leaders Need a Professional Prescription.
When the Government announced that menopause will now be part of the NHS Health Check for women aged 40–74 in England, it marked real progress. It means millions more women will finally be asked about menopause during routine appointments.
But there’s a second, quieter conversation that isn’t happening and it's just as important. Who’s checking the leadership health of our top-tier women leaders - the most overlooked and underserved strata of the workforce during menopause at work?
Because while your GP will routinely review your blood pressure, hormonal health (hopefully) and cholesterol, there is no real detail yet about what will be included in this new appointment check - will it include physical and emotional symptoms of menopause, will it discuss your physical and psychological risks, will it explore whether you are a candidate for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT/MRT) or explore other non-pharmacological options and alternatives.
The details aren't there yet as our CEO and founder, Fiona McKay, The Menopause Career Coach and menopause influencer on menopause at work explains in this video below:
White women in the UK have a significantly higher rate of HRT take-up compared to Black and Asian women, with studies showing that white women are between four and five times more likely to receive HRT prescriptions. For example, The BMJ study found that 22.6% of white women had HRT prescriptions, compared to 8.9% of Caribbean women, 8.7% of Indian women, 6.8% of Pakistani women, and 5.4% of black African women.
Prescription rates by ethnic group
White women: 22.6%
Asian women: Around 6.2%
Black women: Around 5.2%
Black Caribbean women: 8.9%
Indian women: 8.7%
Pakistani women: 6.8%
Black African women: 3.9%
A 10-year study found that, compared to white women, women of black African backgrounds were 79% less likely to receive HRT, and women of Pakistani and Indian backgrounds were 70% and 61% less likely, respectively, according to The Guardian and Dr Louise Newson.
Menopause at Work: The Hidden Strategic Risk
Menopause isn’t just about hormones. It can subtly alter decision-making speed, confidence, visibility, and risk appetite. Those shifts can delay projects, dilute presence, and reduce promotability.
They’re not “personality changes” they’re physiological shifts with professional consequences. And yet, most workplaces still treat menopause purely as a wellness issue instead of a leadership performance variable.
That’s where the concept of the Professional Prescription™ from The Menopause Maze begins.
Step 1: Diagnosis Through Data with The NOPAUSE™ Scorecard
Every prescription starts with a diagnosis. The NOPAUSE™ Scorecard acts as your professional diagnostic the only leadership-focused tool built to reveal where menopause may be silently influencing your performance, pay, progression, and promotability.
It’s objective, strategic, and entirely focused on your results at work, exclusively for women leaders, including current C's Suite Execs, C-Suite Female Founders in turnover business of £5m or more, and aspiring C-suite leaders ready to claim their rightful promotion into the boardroom whilst moving through all stages of menopause at work.
Step 2: Get Your Professional Prescription
Once you know your results, you can’t unknow them. That’s why your next step is your Professional Prescription™ a personalised action plan drawn from your data.
The NOPAUSE™ Advantage delivers a high-impact 90-minute recalibration session that restores career clarity, energy, and direction for women leaders.
The NOPAUSE™ Accelerator provides elite, side-by-side executive strategy support to rebuild strategic edge and influence in real so you have a new toolbox so you can both lead and live without limits, grow your career and your company all with NOPAUSE™ whatever stage of menopause you are in.
Step 3: Understand The Results That Matter
Clinical frameworks like NICE Guideline NG23: Menopause Identification and Management emphasise personalised, evidence-based care for menopause.
Your career deserves the same approach.
When women leaders apply the Professional Prescription™, they report sharper decision-making, restored confidence, and re-energised growth trajectories - the measurable outcomes every high performer values most.
From Health Check to Leadership Check
The NHS Health Check will monitor your body. Your NOPAUSE™ Scorecard will monitor your leadership life.
Because every woman deserves a professional prescription that protects not only her health but her career, company, and confidence.
Your GP can give you medical results. Only The Menopause Maze gives you a Professional Prescription™ for leadership results.