Why Business Analysts Should Be Talking About Menopause

By Vicky Di Ciacca, March 2026

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak about two topics that are very close to my heart: Business Analysis and menopause. I spent the first 30 years of my life as a Business Analyst and spent 20 of those running an analysis consultancy.

In conversation with Linda Parker (a winner of BA of the Year) on the “What would a BA do?” podcast, we explored something I feel strongly about; that menopause is not just a personal or medical issue. It is a workplace issue, and one that organisations can no longer afford to overlook.

A hidden workforce reality

Right now, around one in four people in your workplace may be experiencing menopause. Some are managing quietly. Others are struggling in silence. And too many have stepped back from their careers, not because they lack capability, but because they didn’t get the support they needed at the right time.

This isn’t just about wellbeing. It’s about retention, progression and inclusion. It’s about whether organisations are truly enabling people to do their best work.

Why this is a Business Analysis issue

As Business Analysts, we are uniquely positioned to make a difference here. Systemic change is what we are interested in. We are trained to take a holistic view of organisational challenges to look beyond the surface and understand systems, stakeholders and impacts. Menopause touches all of these: it affects attendance and performance; influences retention and career progression; creates challenges for managers and HR teams; importantly, it introduces hidden stakeholders.

Line managers often want to help but don’t know how. HR teams are navigating complex and evolving legal considerations. Employees may not feel safe or confident enough to speak openly.

This is exactly the kind of complex, human-centred problem that BAs are equipped to work with.

The power of BA skills

The core skills of Business Analysis translate powerfully into this space:

Listening without assumptions
Asking thoughtful, open questions
Getting to the root of real needs
Creating safe environments for honest conversations

These are not just technical skills, they are human skills. And they matter deeply when addressing something as personal and often misunderstood as menopause.

Small changes, big impact

One of the key messages from the conversation is that meaningful change doesn’t always require large-scale transformation. Often, it’s the practical, thoughtful adjustments that make the biggest difference - allowing for regular breaks in the workshops that we run, ensuring access to water and comfortable environments, creating clear structures and expectations, normalising conversations so people feel safe to speak. These changes benefit everyone — but for some, they are essential.

The real stakes

This is not a theoretical issue. Women are increasingly taking organisations to tribunal over lack of support. Others have experienced significant distress in some cases believing they were facing serious cognitive decline before realising it was menopause-related. Behind every statistic is a person trying to navigate work and life at the same time.

Where I’ve landed

After 30 years in Business Analysis, I’ve come to see this as a natural intersection of my work.

I now combine my BA background with coaching and organisational support as a menopause coach. For me, this is about bringing together analytical thinking, empathy and practical change to make workplaces better for people.

Because ultimately, this is what good Business Analysis is about understanding people, identifying what really matters, and helping organisations respond in a way that works.

If you’re interested in how Business Analysis and menopause intersect, I’d encourage you to listen to the full conversation. It’s a topic that deserves far more attention and one where BAs can play a meaningful role in driving change.

The full conversation can be found here: BA Life on Conversation with Vicky Di Ciacca

Why I'm changing the conversation around menopause and leadership

Vicky Di Ciacca, December 2025

A personal and professional crossroads

Over the course of my career, I’ve led large-scale organisational transformations, founded a successful consultancy, chaired charity boards, and studied the psychology of leadership. But one of the most powerful turning points in my professional life came not in a boardroom or classroom — but in my own body.

In my late thirties, just after having a baby, I began experiencing symptoms I couldn’t quite explain. My confidence wavered. My brain felt foggy in meetings where I’d once thrived. I experienced waves of anxiety that seemed to appear out of nowhere. And the hot flushes — I’ll never forget having to stop on the way to a client meeting to buy new trousers because the heat had been so intense.

At the time, I didn’t connect any of it to menopause. Conversations about it simply didn’t happen — not at work, not even with friends. I just pushed through, assuming it was stress or exhaustion. It was only much later that I realised: I was experiencing perimenopause.

The cost of silence

That silence is what started me on this journey.

Years ago, I had a colleague who was struggling — her concentration was off, her confidence shaken. She eventually left for a less demanding role. I remember her telling me how she “just couldn’t keep up anymore.”

At the time, I didn’t share my own experience. I didn’t make the connection that what she was feeling might also be menopause-related. I often think about that now. Would it have helped her to know she wasn’t alone? Could an honest conversation have changed her decision?

We’ll never know. But I suspect that story plays out in countless organisations every year. Talented women, often at the height of their capability, quietly stepping away from leadership paths because they can’t make sense of what’s happening to them — and because workplaces aren’t yet set up to help them navigate it.

Connecting leadership and menopause

This is where my academic and professional interests began to intersect.

During my MSc in Business Psychology, my research focused on the connection between menopause and leadership — specifically, how this transition influences women’s ambition, confidence, and identity at work. I call this the “menopause, ambition and leadership gap.”

In many ways, the timing is cruel. Women’s leadership capability — their experience, influence, and confidence — often peaks in their 40s and 50s. Yet, for many, this coincides with the most intense stage of menopause symptoms. The overlap can create a period of real vulnerability — not because capability declines, but because self-belief and energy can fluctuate.

And if workplaces don’t recognise that, they risk losing experienced leaders at exactly the point they have the most to contribute.

Why this matters — to all of us

This isn’t just about women’s health. It’s about leadership, retention, and culture.

When we treat menopause as a private issue rather than a professional one, we lose talent. We narrow leadership pipelines. We send the implicit message that midlife women must choose between wellbeing and ambition.

But when organisations support this transition with openness, flexibility, and respect, something different happens: confidence returns, ambition revives, and leadership deepens.

That’s why I’m focused on changing the conversation — helping women lead through menopause, and helping organisations understand that this isn’t a “pause” at all, but a transition that can lead to powerful evolution.

A new kind of leadership conversation

Menopause is part of the leadership journey — not the end of it. It’s a stage where self-awareness, resilience, and authenticity often grow stronger. But only if we make space for honest dialogue, practical support, and cultural change.

That’s what my research is all about. Over the next few weeks, I’ll explore:

What menopause really is (and isn’t)
Why it matters so much in the workplace
Real stories of women (and a man) navigating it
Frameworks and tools for organisations and individuals
And, most importantly, how we can all help women thrive, not just survive, through this transition.

“When we don’t talk about menopause, we risk losing not just confidence — but leadership potential.”

Further reading

Contact me