The Promotion You Did Not Pursue. The Business You Did Not Expand.
What Did Menopause Really Cost You?
You were ready for the promotion. Your business was positioned for growth. You had the experience, the relationships and the ambition to take the next step.
But somewhere between sleepless nights, persistent pain and the pressure to keep performing, you began reconsidering what you could realistically manage. What seemed like a temporary adjustment may have quietly changed the financial future you had spent decades building.
On World Menopause Day 2026, the NBWN Menopause Talk Group is bringing attention to a cost that rarely features in conversations about women's health. Beyond the familiar symptoms, menopause can influence decisions about career progression, working hours, business expansion and retirement. For Black and South Asian women, who may also experience longer-lasting symptoms and delays in receiving appropriate healthcare, the consequences deserve particular attention.
Our latest article, The Menopause Career Penalty: What It Costs Experienced Women, and Who Pays Most, examines how these decisions can affect earnings, professional influence and long-term financial independence. It challenges the assumption that stepping back is always a personal choice, particularly when women are making decisions without adequate medical support, workplace flexibility or a clear understanding of the financial implications.
Taking a few minutes to reflect on these questions could help you recognise opportunities you may have quietly ruled out, reconsider decisions that could affect your future earnings and identify support that might allow you to move forward without compromising your health.
Whether that means revisiting a promotion, rethinking how your business operates or reviewing your financial plans, understanding the hidden costs gives you a stronger basis for deciding what comes next.
So, here's the question for our Menopause Talk community
"Have you postponed an ambition because of what you were experiencing, without considering whether better support or a different approach could have kept that opportunity within reach?"
Looking ahead, what could you reclaim, protect or pursue if you gave yourself permission to reassess those decisions rather than accept them as permanent?
Why not share this article with women in your professional and personal networks.
They may be reconsidering a promotion, putting business plans on hold or making decisions about her financial future without recognising the alternatives available to her.
Your share could start an important conversation, challenge an assumption and help another woman recognise that an opportunity she thought was lost may still be within reach.
