World Menopause Awareness Month: Chronic Pain at Midlife

MENOPAUSE AWARENESS MONTH 2026

From Awareness to Action: Is Your Workplace Truly Menopause Inclusive?

September's Perimenopause Awareness Month started some important conversations. For many women, the changes begin long before periods stop, yet it can take time to connect the dots. I've spoken to women who thought they were simply exhausted, losing confidence or no longer coping as well as they used to. They didn't realise perimenopause might be part of the picture.

October gives us the chance to build on that understanding. It's Menopause Awareness Month, with World Menopause Day on 18th October and Surgical Menopause Awareness Day on 30th October. I love that these dates get people talking but I also want to ask employers something: when the posters come down and October is over, what will actually be different for your people?

I'm Alison Allen, founder of Sparks HR Consultancy Ltd. I'm a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, a qualified Menopause Coach and a Workplace Menopause Specialist. I've spent more than 25 years working in HR and Learning & Development, and I still work with employers on the everyday challenges of managing people. That combination is why this matters so much to me. I see what happens when people are supported well, and I see the consequences when they aren't.

Empowering Women Through Health & Knowledge

'Empowering Women Through Health & Knowledge' is a message that really resonates with me. Understanding what may be happening in your body can be life-changing. It can give someone the confidence to seek medical advice, ask questions and explain what they need at work. I've met too many women who spent months wondering why they didn't feel like themselves.

But we can't put all the responsibility on women to educate everyone around them. Menopause affects families, relationships, colleagues and workplaces and remember that transgender and non-binary individuals can experience menopause too. I want everyone to feel able to learn and take part, including the men who manage, work alongside or live with someone going through it.

A moment from one of my CPD Accredited Menopause for Managers sessions has stayed with me. A man told the group that if he'd attended that training two years earlier, he might still be married. It was a powerful reminder that understanding menopause can change more than a workplace conversation. It can change how we listen to and support the people closest to us.

World Menopause Day: Chronic Pain at Midlife

The International Menopause Society's theme for World Menopause Day 2026 is 'Chronic Pain at Midlife'. I'm pleased this is being talked about. We often hear about hot flushes, brain fog and sleep problems, but pain and discomfort can also have a real impact on day-to-day life. Not all pain at midlife is caused by menopause, of course, and persistent symptoms deserve proper medical attention.

Imagine trying to concentrate through a meeting when you've barely slept because you're in pain, or doing a physically demanding job when your joints hurt. You may be doing everything you can to get through the day while nobody around you has any idea. That's why a supportive conversation matters more than a manager trying to guess what's wrong.

Managers don't need to be medical experts, they need to listen without judgement, understand the effect on work and consider what could help. Sometimes the changes can be straightforward:

• Review seating, workstation ergonomics or equipment.
• Offer flexibility around breaks, movement or working patterns where practical.
• Consider temporary adjustments to physically demanding tasks.
• Discuss an individual risk assessment and a personal action plan.
• Seek Occupational Health input when appropriate and agree review dates.

None of this should be imposed on someone because of their age or because a manager assumes they're menopausal. Ask the individual, agree what's helpful and check back. That's what good people management looks like.

Surgical Menopause Awareness Day: 30th October

Surgical Menopause Awareness Day on 30th October is another date I really want to highlight. I've had many conversations with women who underwent surgery without feeling prepared for the possibility of an immediate or earlier menopause. I find that heartbreaking. Recovery from surgery can be difficult enough without suddenly trying to make sense of unfamiliar symptoms too.

Removing both ovaries before natural menopause causes surgical menopause. Some other operations, including hysterectomy where the ovaries remain, may be associated with an earlier menopause, but they don't automatically cause immediate menopause. Experiences vary, and people need clear medical information and individual support.

Think about the manager welcoming someone back after an operation. They may be thinking about mobility, healing, fatigue and a phased return but that colleague could also be dealing with sudden hormonal changes, disrupted sleep, emotional distress or symptoms they haven't yet recognised as menopause-related. One return-to-work conversation might need to consider both recovery and menopause support.

My message to managers is simple: don't make assumptions, and don't be afraid to ask sensitively how someone is getting on and what might help, listen to their answer, involve HR or Occupational Health when appropriate and most importantly, let them know they don't have to work everything out on their own.

From Awareness to Genuine Workplace Inclusion

I'm delighted that more organisations are talking about menopause and introducing policies. That is progress but I often ask: what happens when someone actually approaches their manager? Will they be met with understanding, or awkward silence? Will their concerns be taken seriously and will the response depend on which manager they happen to have?

A policy on the intranet can't have that conversation and a single awareness session can't change a culture overnight. We need people at every level to understand their part, and we need to keep supporting them after the training finishes.

The Sparks Layered Support Framework™

That's why I've developed the Sparks Layered Support Framework™. I don't believe menopause inclusion should rest on one enthusiastic Menopause Champion or one HR policy. It works best when everyone has a part to play:

• Colleagues who understand menopause and challenge stigma.
• Managers equipped with practical tools and confidence.
• Trained Menopause Champions providing peer support and signposting.
• HR teams with suitable policies, processes, risk assessments and guidance.
• Senior leaders who visibly champion inclusion.
• Ongoing communications, menopause support groups and opportunities to review progress.

Through my Sparks Menopause Inclusion Transformation Programme, I work alongside organisations to bring those layers together: listening to employees, building leadership commitment, developing policies and practical resources, training managers and Champions, and checking whether things are improving. I want employers to see a difference in real conversations and everyday experiences, not just in a completed checklist.

Getting Ready for Menopause Action Plans

Menopause Action Plans are another reason to start thinking about this now. The government's framework allows employers with 250 or more employees to publish voluntary action plans from 2026, with mandatory requirements anticipated from 2027, subject to secondary legislation and final guidance. The plans address gender pay gaps and menopause support. Rather than waiting for a deadline, I'd encourage employers to use this moment to ask what good support looks like in their own organisation.

I have to ask: why should the size of the workforce determine whether menopause support matters? If a small business loses one experienced colleague, the impact can be enormous. Smaller organisations may have fewer people to cover absence and less in-house HR support, they deserve practical, proportionate solutions too.

You don't need to begin with a huge document. Start by finding out where you are, ask people about their experiences, check what managers know, review existing processes and agree a few meaningful priorities;

• Understand your current culture and employee experiences.
• Review policies, risk assessments and existing support pathways.
• Identify training and manager-development needs.
• Set realistic actions, owners and timescales.
• Reassess confidence, awareness and inclusion over time.

I can help employers establish that starting point through a menopause inclusion audit, then turn the findings into an action plan with clear priorities and measures and at the end of the journey, we can look again to see what's genuinely changed. That's much more useful than a plan that sits untouched in a folder.

Where HR Expertise Meets Menopause Specialism

One thing I want people to know about Sparks HR is that I haven't left HR behind to talk about menopause. HR is still my day job. I'm working with organisations on employee relations, absence, performance, grievances, investigations, policies, people strategy and manager development. I bring that practical experience into every menopause conversation.

That matters because menopause can overlap with so many HR issues. A manager may see an absence problem, a drop in confidence or someone who seems to be struggling at work. I want them to have the confidence to look beyond the immediate issue, have a respectful conversation and find the right support, without making assumptions.

CPD Accredited Training and Practical Support

As a CPD Approved Provider and Accredited CPD Trainer, I deliver CPD Accredited programmes for Colleagues, Managers and Menopause Champions. Each has a different purpose. Colleagues build awareness and understanding. Managers practise how to respond and explore support. Champions develop the knowledge, boundaries and signposting skills to keep conversations going. I'm particularly passionate about giving people practical tools they can use the next day, not just slides they'll forget.

I also help with menopause policies, risk assessments, manager and HR toolkits, personal action plans, communications, menopause support groups and bespoke workshops. Some organisations need a starting point; others want a longer-term inclusion strategy. I meet them where they are and help them take the next sensible step.

I'm developing a CPD Accredited Menopause Inclusion Practitioner Programme too, aimed at HR and wellbeing professionals who want to lead this work confidently within their own organisations. My aim is always the same: give people the knowledge, confidence and practical support to make a difference.

Five Questions for Employers This October

1.  Do we understand how employees actually experience menopause in our workplace?

2.  Are our managers confident having supportive conversations and exploring adjustments?

3.  Do our HR policies and processes reflect individual health and equality considerations?

4.  Is support visible and available throughout the year, not only during awareness campaigns?

5.  Can we measure whether our organisation is becoming more inclusive?

What Happens After October?

September got us talking about perimenopause. October has given us opportunities to talk about menopause, chronic pain and surgical menopause. I'm glad these conversations are happening, but I don't want them to end when the awareness month does.

On 1st November, will employees know where to turn? Will managers feel more confident? Will leaders follow through on the promises they've made? Will organisations have started to prepare meaningful action plans? Those are the questions that matter to me.

For me, the goal is simple: workplaces where people feel listened to, supported and able to keep doing the work they value. I don't want employers to lose talented, experienced people because the right conversation never happened.

If any of this has made you think about your own workplace, I'd love to talk. Whether you need a menopause inclusion audit, CPD Accredited training, help with Menopause Action Plans or a longer-term transformation programme, I'm here to help you find a practical way forward.

Thank you to Management Learning Resource for giving me the opportunity to share this blog and talk about a subject I care so much about. I hope it encourages a few more conversations and, even better, some practical action.

Sparks HR Consultancy Ltd  |  Where HR expertise meets menopause specialism.

www.sparkshr.co.uk