Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | September 22, 2025 | wbjournal.com well understood on a clinical level, and the effects of that trickle down to the workplace, said Zolezzi-Wyndham. "You can't talk about something you don't understand," she said. Historically, treating menopause has largely fallen on the shoulders of gynecologists, since even primary care providers oen aren't discussing the transition with their patients, said Dee Henriquez, nurse practitioner and owner of Dee Luxe Medical, a Worces- ter clinic providing hormone replace- ment therapy for those in menopause. "We should all be well versed in how to manage 50% of the population with their hormone fluctuations, right?" Henriquez said. While menopause typically begins between 45 and 55, women can start the transition period, called perimeno- pause, as soon as 35. Progesterone is the first hormone to begin to decline, said Henriquez. Since progesterone has mood stabilizing effects, its decline can cause women to experience heightened anxiety, at levels they may have never felt before. Henriquez has seen patients who have been sent to up to seven special- Despite costing the U.S. economy $26B a year, menopause remains hush-hush in the office of silence starting to li surrounding menopause and how it shows up in the workplace: a necessity if women are going to receive the adequate support they need, which in turn, helps business- es thrive. Small adjustments such as more frequent work breaks and flexible dress code policies can go a long way in mak- ing working conditions more conducive to those in menopause. While workplace accommodations for the physical and mental effects of menopause are essential, they can only be sustainable when rooted in a culture that prioritizes accurate knowledge, in- formed accessibility, and support, rather than one that penalizes women for speaking up, said Valerie Zolezzi-Wyn- dham, CEO of Promoting Good, a diver- sity, equity, and inclusion leadership consulting firm in Worcester. Lack of understanding Menopause and its symptoms are not Menopause at work BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writher A ll women, if they out- live their ovaries, will go through menopause. Yet, the message women receive directly and indirectly is the workplace is no place to talk about this stage of their lives. e subject remains taboo, with wom- en frequently le to suffer in silence. "Menopause is a universal life experience, but it's also tied to the aging process. And so I think you have the intersection of sexism and ageism that are playing a role here," said Dr. Stephanie Faubion, director of the Mayo Clinic's Center for Women's Health and the medical director of e Menopause Society. e loss of productivity and health expenses associated with menopause cost the U.S. economy $26 billion an- nually, according to conservative figures developed from research by Faubion and her colleagues. Workdays missed due to menopause symptoms added up to another $1.8-bil- lion annual loss, according to the 2023 study Impact of Menopause Symptoms on Women in the Workplace published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Faubion and her peers see the fog PHOTO | EDD COTE F O C U S DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION Dr. Stephanie Faubion, director at the Mayo Clinic Dee Henriquez offers hormone replacement therapy at her business Dee Luxe Medical, including for women in menopause.

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