From fertility to testosterone: making hormone health support work across the workforce

When did you last hear someone at work openly talk about their hormones — whether that’s their menstrual cycle, fertility struggles, menopause symptoms, or persistent fatigue, low mood or brain fog — without lowering their voice or brushing it off as stress?

Hormone health affects everyone. It influences how we sleep, think, feel and perform at work. Yet for many employees, it remains something they manage quietly and alone. Women often worry that mentioning hormones will lead to them being labelled as “hormonal” or less capable. Men experiencing symptoms linked to testosterone imbalance may dismiss them as ageing or burnout. In both cases, silence is common — and support is often delayed.

The impact on working lives is far from marginal. Research by the NHS Confederation estimates that £11bn is lost every year to absenteeism linked to gynaecological conditions alone. Meanwhile, separate research by Simplyhealth found that almost a quarter (23%) of working women have considered leaving their job due to menopause or menstrual health symptoms, while nearly nine in 10 (87%) say they want their employer to be more supportive when it comes to women’s health.

Why hormone health support still falls short at work

Despite growing awareness, many workplaces are still struggling to turn intent into impact.

CIPD research highlights how hormone health — particularly menopause — continues to affect women’s working lives. More than half (57%) of women experiencing menopause say it has negatively affected their career progression, with many turning down additional responsibilities or considering leaving their roles altogether. Common symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, poor concentration and disrupted sleep directly affect performance and confidence — yet are rarely framed as hormone-related issues at work.

While some employers now offer fertility benefits, menopause policies or health checks, support often remains fragmented. Fertility sits in one part of the benefits strategy, menopause in another, and male hormone health is frequently overlooked altogether.

Employees are left asking:

• Does this benefit apply to me?
• Is it confidential?
• Will using it affect how I’m perceived at work?

When those questions go unanswered, people delay action, self-diagnose online or push through — often until symptoms escalate.

Making hormone health support work in practice

Creating a culture where hormone health support feels safe is essential — but it also requires the right infrastructure.

Through FlexGenius, delivered by Avantus, employers can bring together a range of hormone-related health services in one place. This makes support easier to find, easier to access discreetly, and easier to normalise across the workforce.

The focus shifts from reactive intervention to earlier insight and prevention — helping employees understand what’s happening in their bodies before symptoms begin to affect wellbeing or performance.

Hormone-related services available via the FlexGenius platform include:

• Male hormone health screening, including testosterone profiling — such as the at-home and clinical testing offered by YorkTest and Bluecrest — helping men better understand symptoms such as fatigue, low mood, reduced motivation, muscle loss and brain fog, which are often misattributed to stress or ageing
• Advanced menopause hormone profiling, including services from Bluecrest, offering earlier clarity for women experiencing symptoms that may otherwise be misunderstood, dismissed or mistaken for burnout
• Female hormone and fertility testing, including at-home hormone and fertility insights from YorkTest, supporting women navigating fertility concerns alongside broader hormonal change
• Fertility assessment and conception support, delivered by specialists such as Plan Your Baby, recognising that fertility challenges affect both women and men, and are often a shared experience requiring clinical, emotional and practical support

Why culture still matters as much as benefits

Even the most comprehensive benefits won’t deliver value if employees don’t feel confident using them.

Hormone health remains one of the most stigmatised areas of workplace wellbeing. Research consistently shows that employees experiencing fertility challenges or menopause symptoms often take time off as annual leave, work through symptoms in silence, or avoid raising issues altogether.

That’s why hormone health support needs to be:

• Normalised as part of everyday wellbeing
• Inclusive of all genders and life stages
• Discreet and confidential by design
• Backed by managers who know how to listen and signpost, rather than diagnose

When these conditions are in place, engagement rises — and the business benefits follow.

Top tips: how HR leaders and benefits professionals can make hormone health support safe, normal and accessible

1. Normalise hormone health as part of everyday wellbeing
   Position hormone health alongside mental health, sleep and musculoskeletal support — not as a niche or “women-only” issue.
2. Focus on early insight, not just crisis support
   Preventative screening and guided support help employees understand what’s happening earlier, reducing escalation and absence.
3. Make access discreet and simple
   Benefits accessed confidentially and independently — ideally through a single platform — are far more likely to be used.
4. Be explicit about inclusivity
   Hormone health affects all genders and ages. Clear messaging reduces stigma and widens engagement.
5. Equip managers to respond, not diagnose
   Empathy, flexibility and signposting matter more than medical knowledge.
6. Communicate consistently
   Ongoing promotion and clear signposting embed hormone health into everyday working life.

Why this matters now

Employees don’t leave parts of their biology at the door when they come to work. Hormonal health shapes how people think, feel and perform — often invisibly.

With growing evidence of the impact on retention, progression and productivity, the question for employers is no longer whether hormone health matters, but whether people feel able to access the support already available to them.

By bringing hormone health support — from fertility and menopause to testosterone and wider screening — into a coherent, accessible approach, employers can move from awareness to action, helping employees get the clarity and support they need earlier.

And when hormone health becomes a normal part of working life, everyone benefits.

Ready to make hormone health support normal and accessible at work?

Discover how FlexGenius helps organisations deliver inclusive, confidential benefits for fertility, menopause and testosterone health, all in one easy-to-use platform. Book a demo or contact our team here.
Book a demo or contact our team