Menopause is Costing Billions — But Here’s What We Can Do About It

Menopause and perimenopause are costing Australian businesses billions.

$10 billion in replacement costs.
$15.2 billion in lost earnings and super for women.
83% of women saying symptoms impact their work.
1 in 8 retiring early.
This isn’t a “personal problem.” It’s a business problem.
But problems are only one half of the story. Today, let’s talk about the other half — the solutions. Because perimenopause is not the end of your performance era. It’s the beginning of your power era.

Why We Need Solutions Now
Let’s get real. If you’re a nurse, police officer, firefighter, entrepreneur, soldier, or corporate leader, you don’t get the luxury of pressing pause when hot flashes, insomnia, brain fog, or anxiety hit.

You still have to: Lead meetings, respond to emergencies, manage staff, hold the line for your patients, your clients, your communities. And because women like you are the backbone of entire industries, the cost of silence is enormous.

When women downshift careers, walk away from leadership, or exit the workforce, businesses lose not just a worker — they lose:

-Institutional knowledge (years of expertise and relationships).
-Leadership capability (the wisdom to handle crises calmly).
-Mentorship pipelines (the next generation of talent).
If you’re a business leader reading this, ask yourself: How much does it cost to replace one senior manager, or one highly trained frontline leader? Now multiply that by thousands. That’s why this is a multi-billion-dollar issue.

But here’s the hope: we can change it.

Perimenopause feels unpredictable. One day you’re on fire, the next you’re questioning if you’ve lost your edge. But what if you reframed it as a recalibration, not a collapse? Here’s where to start:

1. Nervous System Mastery
Stress is gasoline on the fire of perimenopause symptoms. Without regulation, cortisol spikes magnify hot flushes, anxiety, sleep problems, and brain fog.

This isn’t about bubble baths or “self-care.” It’s about performance-level regulation tools: tactical breathwork to switch your body from fight-or-flight to calm-in-control, micro-pauses between high-pressure tasks.
Training your stress response so you can still deliver under pressure without frying your system. Think of it as mental armour — especially critical if you’re in a frontline role.

2. Fuel the Brain and Body
Nutrition isn’t optional — it’s strategy.

Creatine (5g+ daily): Research shows it’s not just for athletes. It supports cognitive clarity, memory, and problem-solving — the very skills that feel shaky in perimenopause.
Protein: At least 1.6–2.2g per kilo of bodyweight daily. It preserves muscle (and metabolism), improves satiety, and stabilises blood sugar, which means fewer energy crashes mid-shift.
Anti-inflammatory support: Omega-3s, curcumin, magnesium, vitamin D. Not trendy add-ons, but foundational building blocks for stable mood and energy. This isn’t about dieting. It’s about fuelling your leadership.

3. Strength Training is Non-Negotiable
Bone density, muscle mass, and resilience all take a hit during perimenopause. Cardio is great, but strength training is survival. It protects against injury (crucial for physical jobs), it boosts confidence in your body’s capability, it literally makes you harder to break — physically and psychologically.
If you’re leading teams, running a business, or working the frontlines, you don’t just want endurance. You want power that lasts decades.

4. Identity and Boundaries Reset
Here’s the truth most won’t say: perimenopause exposes what’s unsustainable. The overworking, people-pleasing, and perfectionism you once could push through? It won’t fly anymore. This isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom. It’s your body demanding alignment.

That might mean: saying no more often, delegating instead of controlling everything, reframing success away from “doing it all” to doing what actually matters. For entrepreneurs, executives, and frontline leaders, this is where coaching matters most — guiding you to step into leadership that’s sharper, not heavier.

5. Work With, Not Against, Your Physiology
Even if your cycle is irregular or gone, your body still runs on rhythms. Instead of fighting them, you can: schedule demanding work in your sharper windows, allow recovery time when symptoms flare instead of bulldozing through, build flexibility into your performance plan. This doesn’t reduce your output — it makes it more effective.

For Businesses: Retention Over Replacement
If you’re in leadership, HR, or running an organisation, here’s the wake-up call: you can’t afford to lose your top women.

1. Menopause-Informed Policies
Flexible schedules for symptom management. This isn’t “special treatment.” It’s smart business. Menopause education for managers, so they know how to support without stigmaas well as clear policies that encourage retention, not quiet exits will go long way.

2. Education is Everything
Menopause should be as normal in leadership training as stress management. When men and women alike understand what’s happening, stigma dissolves and support becomes practical.

3. Performance Coaching for Midlife Women
Workplace wellness programs aren’t enough. Women need performance strategies tailored to their stage of life. Imagine offering executive coaching that includes hormonal literacy and nervous system training — the ROI would be extraordinary.

4. Measure What You Want to Keep
Stop tracking only exits. Start measuring retention of senior women, reduced absenteeism, and leadership continuity. When you see the metrics improve, you’ll know your strategy is working.

The Bigger Picture: Redefining Peak Performance
We’ve been sold the myth that peak performance looks the same forever — 12-hour workdays, endless hustle, and grinding through symptoms. But that model was built on male physiology. Women’s peak performance looks different. It’s cyclical, adaptive, and resilient. Perimenopause isn’t the end of that — it’s the upgrade.

When women are supported through this transition, they emerge sharper, wiser, and more powerful. Imagine what industries could look like if we stopped losing women right when they’re at the height of their capability.