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Managers still unprepared to discuss menstrual health, study finds
Few HR professionals believe managers are properly trained to support employees with endometriosis and other menstrual health conditions, new research has revealed.
Only 16 per cent of HR professionals said line managers had the training or resources to effectively support staff with menstrual health issues, according to new research.
That figure dropped to 13 per cent for endometriosis – a disease affecting the lining of the womb, which impacts one in 10 women and those assigned female at birth from puberty to menopause.
The research, carried out by HR software provider Ciphr and the charity Endometriosis UK, surveyed 121 HR professionals and leaders in summer 2025.
It also found that many employers do not provide free period products or have flexible uniform rules.
Julie Burns is the Endometriosis Friendly Employer scheme manager at Endometriosis UK.
She said: “We know that there are many HR professionals already putting in place the right measures to enable those with endometriosis to feel valued, be productive and contribute to their organisation’s success – but as a charity we also hear stories of women and those assigned female at birth treated unfairly or without sympathy, forced to change careers or abandon their ambitions, because of the disease.
“We hope HR professionals recognise that providing support to the estimated 1.5m in the UK with endometriosis is in their interests.
“Doing so will not only enable that community to achieve their potential, but it sends a message to your wider team that they are valued and can expect support and reasonable adjustments.”
Menstrual health policies were far less common among UK employers (11 per cent) than those for mental health (57 per cent) or peri/menopause (48 per cent).
However, flexible working – offered by 89 per cent of employers – may provide some support for employees with endometriosis.
Only 21 per cent of employers recorded data on how many staff had a diagnosed or suspected menstrual health condition such as endometriosis.
Meanwhile, 29 per cent said free period products were not supplied at work, with another 3 per cent unsure.
Among organisations where uniforms are worn, just 18 per cent said employees were asked whether adjustments were needed.
This could be particularly relevant for those with endometriosis, who may experience bloating or heavy bleeding that can temporarily alter body shape by up to two dress sizes.
Claire Hawes, chief people and operations officer at Ciphr, said employers should take the findings seriously.
She said: “It’s concerning that these results reveal such a wide gap in organisational awareness and readiness to support employees living with endometriosis and other menstrual health conditions.
“When managers are perceived as unapproachable or ill-equipped to respond with empathy and understanding, organisations risk sidelining the needs of a significant part of their workforce.
“HR teams have a vital role to play in changing this. Managers must be empowered to support their people holistically – not just in terms of performance and KPIs, but in their health and wellbeing too.
“That means investing in training, implementing flexible policies, signposting resources, and fostering open, compassionate conversations about health.”
Sanchia Alasia is a trustee of Endometriosis UK and senior HR professional who lives with endometriosis.
Alasia said: “My personal and professional experience shows me that a little bit of flexibility can go a really long way.
“Those with endometriosis need to know that if they have a flare-up or need to attend a medical appointment, they can tell a manager and be believed and understood, rather than judged.
“That flexibility needs to be there both in the culture of an organisation and in the policies that line managers rely on.
“Ultimately, line managers need clarity, and all sorts of employees may need that flexibility at some time or another, regardless of whether they have endometriosis, another medical condition, or other circumstances affecting them.”
Resistance training improves hip strength, balance and flexibility during menopause and may also improve lean body mass, research suggests.
A study of 72 active women aged 46 to 57 found those who completed a 12-week supervised programme saw greater gains than those who kept to their usual exercise routines.
None of the participants were taking hormone replacement therapy.
The supervised, low-impact resistance exercise programme focused on strength at the hip and shoulder, dynamic balance and flexibility.
Participants used Pvolve equipment, including resistance bands and weights around the hips, wrists and ankles, and also lifted dumbbells of varying loads.
Women in the resistance training group showed a 19 per cent increase in hip function and lower-body strength, a 21 per cent increase in full-body flexibility and a 10 per cent increase in dynamic balance, meaning the ability to stay stable while moving.
Those in the usual activity group did not show any significant improvements.
Previous studies have assessed the decline in lower limb strength and flexibility during menopause, but this is said to be the first study to compare the effect of resistance training on muscle strength and mass before, during and after menopause.
This was done by including participants in different phases of menopause rather than following the same participants over a long timeframe.
Francis Stephens, a researcher at the University of Exeter Medical School in the UK, said: “These results are important because women appear to be more susceptible to loss of leg strength as they age, particularly after menopause, which can lead to increased risk of falls and hip fractures.
“This is the first study to demonstrate that a low-impact bodyweight and resistance band exercise training programme with a focus on the lower limbs, can increase hip strength, balance, and flexibility.
“Importantly, these improvements were the same in peri- and post-menopausal females when compared to pre-menopausal females, suggesting that changes associated with menopause do not mitigate the benefits of exercise.”
Although one of the researchers sits on Pvolve’s clinical advisory board, the researchers said the company did not sponsor the study or influence its results.
Stephens added that any progressive resistance exercise training focused on lower-body strength is likely to yield the same results.
He said: “The important point is for an individual to find a type of exercise, modality, location, time of day etc., that is enjoyable, sustainable, and improves everyday life.
“The participants in the present study reported an improvement in ‘enjoyment of exercise,’ and some are still using the programme since the study finished.”
Kylie Larson, a women’s health and fitness coach and founder of Elemental Coaching, who was not involved in the study, said the results were compelling.
She said: “This is particularly exciting for those that tend to think of menopause as ‘the end’. The study proves that if you incorporate strength training you can still make improvements to your muscle mass and strength, which will also have a positive ripple effect to your ability to manage your body composition.
“In addition, staying flexible and being able to balance are both keys to a healthy and functional second half of life.”
Participants in the study did four classes a week for 30 minutes each session, but Larson said even half that amount of strength training can go a long way, particularly if you emphasise progressive overload, which means gradually increasing muscle challenge through more weight.
Larson said: “Gradually increasing the challenge is what drives real change.
“Lifting heavier over time is what builds strength, protects your bones, and keeps your body resilient through menopause and beyond.”
France will reimburse reusable period products for women under 26 and those on low incomes, in a move aimed at tackling period poverty.
The measure is expected to help 6.7m people, almost a tenth of France’s population of 69m, from the start of the next academic year in the autumn.
Women under 26 with a state health insurance card, as well as women of all ages who receive special healthcare support because of limited income, will be able to claim reimbursement after buying the products from a pharmacy. The cost will be covered through the country’s social security system.
Parliament approved the measure as part of the country’s social security budget for 2024. However, no decree was issued to bring it into force, prompting anger among feminist groups and companies making the sustainable sanitary items.
A survey of 4,000 women in France in November found that one in ten had used alternatives to mainstream period products, such as ripped-up clothes, because of tight budgets, according to French charity Dons Solidaires.
France cut sales tax on period products from 20 per cent to 5.5 per cent in 2016. In 2020, Scotland became the first country in the world to sign into law free universal access to period products in public buildings.
Condé Nast will close its women’s health publication Self after 47 years, with unprofitable editions of Glamour and Wired also set to shut.
In a memo published on the magazine giant’s website on Thursday, the media company’s chief executive, Roger Lynch, said: “As audience behaviours shift, we have not seen a path for Self to continue in its current form as a digital publication.”
“Going forward, health and wellness content will be integrated into our other brands, including Allure and Glamour,” Lynch said, referring to Condé Nast’s other beauty and wellness titles.
Self, which moved to an online-only format in 2017, still reaches more than 20m people each month.
The publication has also earned significant recognition over the years, including a National Magazine award and a Webby’s People’s Voice award.
The closure is part of a wider set of operational changes across the company. Lynch also announced the end of Wired’s Italy edition, noting that while the brand “remains a strong global brand, the Italian edition has not kept pace with growth in our other markets”.
Condé Nast will also wind down Glamour’s publishing operations in Germany, Spain and Mexico.
Lynch said: “Taken together, Wired in Italy, Self and the affected Glamour markets represent a little over 1 per cent of our overall revenue.
“They also remain unprofitable, and continuing to operate them in their current form limits our ability to invest in the ideas and areas that will drive future growth.”
Beyond editorial changes, the company is also restructuring internally to adapt to technological shifts.
Lynch said Condé Nast would make “changes within our technology organisation, reflecting the rapid advancement of AI and its impact on our ability to innovate and build products faster”, adding: “Teams will be restructured to be more agile and to work more closely with our brands and customers, reducing barriers to execution.”
The latest moves follow a series of transformations at Condé Nast in recent years.
Glamour ended its print edition in 2018, followed by Allure moving to a digital-only format in 2022.
In 2024, music publication Pitchfork was folded into GQ, the company’s men’s style magazine.
More recently, last November, Vogue, one of Condé Nast’s key revenue drivers, announced it would absorb Teen Vogue to create a more “unified reader experience across titles”.
The media industry has been shrinking steadily over the years.
From 2010 to 2017, the industry lost an average of 7,305 jobs annually, according to data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas published in December 2025.
Since 2018, the average number of job cuts in the industry has risen to 14,298 a year.
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