Can You Be Signed Off Work With Menopause? (UK)

The short answer. Yes. If menopause or perimenopause symptoms make you unfit for work, a doctor can assess you and may sign you off. You can self-certify for the first 7 days. Menopause is not a protected characteristic in its own right, but Acas says unfair treatment because of symptoms could be discrimination if it is related to age, disability, gender reassignment or sex.

Symptoms that can affect work

The NHS says perimenopause and menopause usually affect women between 45 and 55, though they can start earlier, and that they are different for everyone. Some people have symptoms with a big impact on daily life; others hardly notice any.

Several symptoms on the NHS list bear directly on work: mood swings, low mood or depression; problems with memory or concentration; hot flushes; and trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, which the NHS says may be worse with night sweats and can leave you feeling irritable, stressed and anxious. The NHS suggests contacting your GP if you think you have menopause or perimenopause symptoms and want to know your options, or if you have a fast heartbeat (palpitations). It also lists bleeding more heavily than before while you still have periods, and any vaginal bleeding after 12 months or more without a period.

Getting signed off with menopause symptoms

The rules are the same as for any illness. You self-certify for absences of 7 days or less. If you are off for more than 7 days in a row, your employer can ask for a note from a doctor or another healthcare professional. The note is based on how your symptoms affect your ability to work, which the doctor assesses.

A note does not have to mean being off entirely. A doctor can say you may be fit for work with changes, such as altered hours, amended duties or workplace adaptations, or a phased return after time off. If you would rather the note did not spell everything out, raise it with the doctor: for NHS fit notes the rules let the condition be described less precisely where full detail would harm your position at work.

If you cannot get a GP appointment, a private sick note from a GMC-registered UK doctor is an alternative. It is a private medical certificate rather than an NHS fit note, so your employer decides whether to accept it, as government guidance for employers allows. It will not support a Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claim, and the doctor may decline.

Menopause and the law at work

The Equality Act 2010 has nine protected characteristics, and menopause is not one of them. Protection comes through the characteristics it touches. Acas says that if someone is put at a disadvantage and treated less favourably because of their menopause symptoms, this could be discriminatory if connected to a protected characteristic, and it names age, disability, gender reassignment and sex.

Disability. Acas says that in some cases menopause could be considered a disability. The Equality Act test is a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to do normal day-to-day activities. Long-term here means an effect lasting 12 months or more, or expected to. Whether your symptoms meet that test depends on the facts of your case. If they do, your employer must make reasonable adjustments, and Acas gives one that matters for sickness records: agreeing to record absence because of menopause separately from other sickness absence.

Health and safety. Acas also points to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, under which an employer must, where reasonably practical, ensure everyone’s health, safety and welfare at work.

The Equality Act does not apply in Northern Ireland. For wider rights while off, see sick leave rights in the UK.

Sick pay

If you qualify, statutory sick pay starts on your first full day off and lasts up to 28 weeks, at £123.25 a week or 80% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Your contract may give more. Read statutory sick pay explained.

Low mood and anxiety

If low mood or anxiety is the main problem, the depression and anxiety pages cover how notes work for them, and the conditions hub sets out what applies to every absence.

Common questions

Can you be signed off work with menopause?

Yes, if your symptoms make you unfit for work. You can self-certify for the first 7 days. After that a doctor assesses you and decides whether to give you a note.

Is menopause a protected characteristic?

No. It is not one of the nine protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010. Acas says unfair treatment because of menopause symptoms could still be discrimination if it is related to age, disability, gender reassignment or sex.

Can menopause count as a disability?

Acas says it could in some cases. Under the Equality Act a disability is a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities, with long-term meaning at least 12 months. Whether menopause symptoms meet that depends on the facts of your case.

Can menopause absence be recorded separately?

Where menopause amounts to a disability, Acas gives this as an example of a reasonable adjustment: recording absence because of menopause separately from other sickness absence.

Is there a set amount of time off for menopause?

No. No NHS or government guidance sets a period off work for menopause, and the NHS says symptoms are different for everyone.

Menopause symptoms stopping you working?

Complete an online questionnaire and a GMC-registered UK doctor decides whether a private sick note is appropriate. £47, no appointment.

Start your consultation

Assessed by a GMC-registered UK doctor. Full refund if a note cannot be issued on clinical grounds.