Canada

Country Context

Canada has one of the largest economies in the world, with a GDP of USD 2.14 trillion and a population of 39.3 million as of 2023. Menopause impacts more than 10 million women in Canada over the age of 40—roughly a quarter of the country’s total population, and the average age of menopause is 51. As of 2025, 80 percent of women between the ages of 45 and 54 participate in the labor force and account for nearly 10 percent of the entire Canadian workforce. This demographic represents the fastest-growing segment of working women in Canada, and a 27 percent increase in the number of working women between the ages of 45 and 54 is expected by 2040.

FIGURE 1

Female Labor Force Participation Throughout the Menopause Transition

Labor force participation drops significantly after the age of 55 and the onset of menopause, indicating a gap in supportive workplace and health care policies.

Sources: World Bank, World Bank, World Bank, Statistics Canada, Statistics Canada

With the growing proportion of midlife women in the labor force, addressing menopause-related challenges is a matter not just of health but also of Canada’s economic stability and future growth. Three-quarters of menopausal Canadian women report symptoms that impact their day-to-day life, including work productivity and presenteeism. As much as CAD 237 million in lost productivity and 540,000 lost days of work are attributed to menopause symptom management. Unmanaged symptoms of menopause are estimated to cost the Canadian economy CAD 3.5 billion (USD 2.57 billion) every year. Effective health care and labor policies are therefore essential to the continued well-being of both Canadian women and the Canadian economy.

Policies and Programs

Canada lacks a specific national policy on menopause. However, Health Canada’s Women’s Health Strategy recognizes the importance of addressing women’s health issues, including menopause. Launched in 1999, the Strategy seeks to comprehensively address women’s health by integrating gender-based analysis into policy development on women’s health issues. This framework remains important, though women’s health generally remains understudied in Canada, as policy and research gaps persist. Between 2009 and 2020, women’s health research received only 6 percent of Canadian Institutes of Health Research funding.

To address this gap, the federal government launched the National Women’s Health Research Initiative in 2022. The Initiative aims to advance research in under-addressed and high-priority areas of women’s health, including menopause, with an initial five-year budget of CAD 20 million. The grants will target biomedical, translational, and health care implementation research. However, this represents only 0.5 percent of the CAD 1 billion (USD 709.9 million) annual budget for health research. In February 2025, the Minister of Health took steps to address menopause specifically, allocating CAD 1.2 million in funding for the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) to support developing and distributing tools and resources to improve access to menopause-specific health services. The project will include updated clinical practice guidelines for menopause care with specific attention on under-served women, including queer and trans people, indigenous women, and women of color. Still, there is a dearth of disaggregated data and research on the health of these groups. While the recently allocated funding signifies a growing focus on improving menopause care and support, it represents a small share of the overall health budget, despite the sizeable role menopausal women play in Canada’s economy.

Health Care for Menopause Symptoms

Canada’s health care system, known as Medicare, provides publicly funded, universal coverage for medically necessary hospital and physician services to all Canadian residents. This system is administered by 13 provincial and territorial health insurance plans, each responsible for organizing and delivering health care services within its jurisdiction. While Medicare provides access to essential medical services, coverage for pharmaceutical products, such as menopause treatments, varies across its 10 provinces and three territories. For example, hormone replacement therapy is fully covered in British Columbia and Manitoba.

Access to menopause treatment can be limited by the lack of specific insurance billing codes in some provinces, making it difficult for providers—especially general practitioners—to be properly reimbursed for their time and care. In some provinces, billing codes apply only to menopause specialists, leading to wait times up to 18 months. Additionally, some primary care physicians may be discouraged from, or even penalized for, referring patients to specialists. Manitoba is the first province to expand fee codes to include menopause-specific codes for general practitioners. In an interview with FP Analytics, Nese Yuksel, Professor of Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Alberta and President of the Canadian Menopause Society, explained, “There is work going on at the ground-level to create menopause-specific billing codes across different provinces,” including Alberta, Ontario, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia. These could serve as useful tools for better equipping doctors and meeting unmet needs among menopausal women.

Beyond issues of coverage, a 2022 representative survey of women found that 38 percent of respondents felt their menopause symptoms were undertreated. Similar to other countries examined in this report, gaps in menopause education in medical training contribute to inconsistent care, with many physicians lacking basic training in menopause management. An estimated 41 percent of medical schools in Canada do not include menopause education in their undergraduate curriculum. Janet Ko, the President and co-founder of the Menopause Foundation of Canada, notes that this lack of knowledge can lead to long wait times to see qualified clinicians covered by Medicare and contributes to the rise of private health clinics and virtual providers.

FIGURE 2

Menopause Policy and Implementation Overview

More broadly, efforts to improve menopause care standards are underway via the mobilization and advocacy of organizations such as the Canadian Menopause Society and the Menopause Society, which both provide practitioner training and certification. Another major advocacy group in Canada, the Menopause Foundation of Canada, offers tools to educate women on menopause and track their menopause symptoms. The Foundation also engages in provincial and federal political advocacy, which has contributed to noteworthy advances in menopause policy and practice in Canada. For instance, Health Quality Ontario, Ontario’s agency to coordinate the provision of health services in the province, in 2024 announced the development of quality standards for menopause care, although details are not yet publicly available.

Menopause in the Workplace

The wide variation in standards and accessibility of health care for menopause has a direct impact on menopausal women’s experiences in the workplace, and thus on productivity and economic output. A 2023 report from the Menopause Foundation of Canada found that menopause symptoms negatively impact job performance for one in three women, with an estimated one in ten women leaving the workforce due to unmanaged symptoms of menopause. Yet, workplace menopause support across sectors remains limited and uneven throughout the country, with few companies and organizations offering policies or programs to address employees’ needs.

FIGURE 3

Economic Impact of Menopause on the Workforce

Lost productivity, absenteeism, and other impacts of menopause have widespread economic impacts, but more data is needed to see the full picture.

Sources: Statistics Canada, The Menopause Foundation of Canada, The Menopause Foundation of Canada

The national resource for workplace health and safety, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), provides recommendations for workplaces to better support menopausal employees, including flexible work arrangements, temperature-controlled environments, and access to wellness programs. However, these guidelines are not legally enforceable, and employer support for menopause remains inconsistent across sectors and industries. To encourage employers to implement menopause-inclusive policies, the Menopause Foundation of Canada launched the Menopause Works Here campaign. The initiative provides resources for businesses to improve workplace culture, reduce stigma, and support employees experiencing menopause. One member of the campaign, L’Oréal Canada, is creating a menopause-inclusive workplace by introducing a dedicated employee resource group, hosting discussions, and providing access to telemedicine support, mental health resources, and treatments through its employer-provided health insurance.

Looking Ahead

While Canada has made strides through initiatives like the National Women’s Health Research Initiative and recent funding for menopause care, considerable gaps persist in health care coverage and workplace support. The lack of universal treatment options, coupled with inconsistent provincial coverage and a shortage of trained health care providers, leaves many women without adequate care. Additionally, workplace policies for menopausal employees are still minimal, despite clear evidence that menopause symptoms negatively impact job performance, retention, and earnings. As the number of mid-life women in the workforce continues to grow, it is imperative for Canada to develop comprehensive policies and programs that address menopause as both a health issue and an economic concern, ensuring that women receive the care, treatment options, and accommodations they need. Pathways to improved menopause care and support include:

• Strengthening Intergovernmental Coordination: Given that Canada’s health care system comprises 13 different provincial and territorial public health insurance plans, coordination among governments to establish national standards for menopause care could improve outcomes. Coordination can include harmonizing funding strategies and policies, sharing best practices, and creating interprovincial advisory committees to ensure that all Canadians have access to consistent, high-quality menopause services. Interviewees also suggested that the creation of insurance billing codes for menopause care across provinces and territories may improve menopause care, as providers can receive proper reimbursement for medical services and advice. 
• Expanding Menopause Research: As with other countries examined in this report, Canada heavily relies on menopause research from the United States. Limited investment in women’s health research, including menopause research, is stark in Canada. While 10.8 percent of the U.S. National Institutes of Health funding was allocated for women’s research in 2020, women’s health research accounted for less than 1 percent of projects funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research that same year. Expanding women’s health research, as well as menopause-specific research, is key to better understanding the health outcomes of all people living in Canada.
• Expanding Workplace Supports: Organizations can better support employees during this critical life stage by developing clear policies, providing workplace supports, and training managers. Creating a menopause-inclusive workplace requires offering flexible work arrangements and creating environments that accommodate the broad range of physical and emotional challenges women may experience during the menopause transition. Benefits need to be expansive and could include expanded coverage for mental health resources and menopause treatments.