28% of women need specialist menopause care to return to work after cancer, data finds

More than one in four (28%) of women required specialist menopause care to return to work during or after cancer treatment, data from Perci Health found.

Among the women completing Perci’s return-to-work programme, menopause care was the fourth most-used service, behind psychological support, physiotherapy or exercise coaching and nutritional support.

Lisa Punt, menopause practitioner at Perci Health, said: “Cancer-related menopause does not arrive neatly or in isolation. 

“Someone may be managing severe menopausal symptoms alongside fatigue, pain, reduced strength, anxiety and cognitive changes following treatment. 

“Together, these issues can make returning to work feel out of reach.”

Punt added: “Specialist menopause care matters, but it cannot sit separately from the rest of someone’s cancer care. 

“Having menopause expertise embedded within Perci’s return-to-work service means we can work directly with our other specialist cancer clinicians, understand the full picture and create one coordinated plan. 

“People should not simply be referred on and left to connect these different areas of care themselves.”