The career cost nobody budgets for, and the companies finally pricing it in
Around one in every three women holding management or executive roles has at some point considered quitting because of menopause-related symptoms. The figure is 34%, from a 2025 WebMD Health Services survey, and it is not a number most Indianapolis-area employers track anywhere.
Why it matters for Indianapolis readers
Menopause usually begins between ages 45 and 55, the same stretch when many women rise into senior leadership. The period when an organization benefits most from its female executives is also the period when she is most likely to be coping with a hot flash during a board presentation, running on three hours of sleep before an 8 a.m. meeting, or losing a word mid-sentence.
According to that same research, 45% of female leaders say they conceal their symptoms in the workplace. A 2025 study from Deloitte's Women @ Work series revealed that 36% of women experiencing symptoms are enduring intense discomfort while carrying on as usual. Searches for "perimenopause" have climbed roughly 740%, according to the trend-tracking site Exploding Topics. Public interest is high. Workplace rules have stayed mostly untouched.
The source of these figures
In 2025, WebMD Health Services surveyed employed women about the support they receive for menopause and how the transition shapes their work lives. Deloitte's research covered 7,500 women across 15 countries. Neither study captures the full picture, since both rely on people reporting their own experiences. Still, the findings point in the same direction: women at the top are leaving, or considering it, for a reason they have been encouraged to keep to themselves.
Picture an ordinary day for a leader in Indianapolis
Imagine a 51-year-old chief operating officer in Indianapolis getting ready for her quarterly review. Last night, she managed only about three hours of sleep. She has already turned the office thermostat down twice this morning, and she knows she will need to do it again before lunch. Midway through a budget review, she grasps for the term "amortization" and draws a blank for a full four seconds while the CFO looks on. No one comments. The rest of the afternoon she replays the moment, wondering whether her colleagues caught it, and through the rest of the quarter she questions whether she still has the sharpness her role demands.
Her mind remains quick By the numbers, she is also one of the many women who have seriously thought about stepping away.
How this bears on your own career
When symptoms are affecting you, staying silent is the choice that costs you the most. Sharing far more than the situation calls for, with a person who never needed those details, comes in a close second. A middle path works best: be specific, keep it brief, and speak plainly.
Items worth asking for
Request some slack on scheduling for morning sessions. Something along the lines of, "I'm dealing with a health matter and would like to steer clear of 8 a.m. commitments." starts for the next few months," works well. You do not need to provide a diagnosis, and a manager who insists on one has already revealed something useful about the workplace.
Also ask for temperature control, a confidential route to HR, and a review of your benefits that addresses menopause the way it addresses maternity care. If you set policy at your company, act before anyone has to ask. Replacing a senior leader costs far more than a fan and a few paragraphs in the employee handbook.
Seek out women who are several years further along on the same path. Those mentors can point you to a good doctor in Carmel or Greenwood, help you decide which symptom to address first, and offer advice on talking with your manager. Local groups such as NAWBO Indianapolis, the Indiana Women's Collaborative and the ABWA chapters in Central Indiana exist precisely to make those connections possible.
What would make you feel ready to say that word out loud at your job?