By Hayley Aley, Equality Lead, Police Federation of England and Wales

World Menopause Day gives us an important opportunity to reflect on how far we've come in supporting women through menopause, but also to be honest about how far we still have to go.

Over recent years, menopause has become a much more visible workplace issue. More women are speaking openly about their experiences, more employers are recognising the challenges it can bring, and more organisations are introducing support and guidance.

In policing, that progress is welcome. Conversations that were once avoided are now happening in staff networks, wellbeing forums and leadership discussions. But when I speak to officers and staff across England and Wales, one message continues to come through: support remains inconsistent, and too many women still feel they have to cope alone.

During our World Menopause Day webinar, I was joined by Police Federation representative Clare Preston-Davies, who spoke candidly about her experience of menopause alongside ADHD. Her story highlighted something we do not talk about enough.

Menopause rarely exists in isolation. For many women, it sits alongside other health conditions, disabilities, caring responsibilities or neurodivergence. Symptoms such as brain fog, disrupted sleep, anxiety, fatigue and memory difficulties can become even more challenging when layered on top of something else.

Clare described it as a "double whammy", and I suspect many women will recognise exactly what she meant.
One of the biggest impacts can be on confidence. I regularly hear from women who have spent years performing demanding roles, making critical decisions and leading teams, only to suddenly find themselves questioning their own abilities.

They worry about forgetting things. They lose confidence in presentations and interviews. They become frustrated that information they know is there feels harder to access.

The frustrating reality is that the capability has not disappeared.

Many women know exactly what they want to say, but struggle with concentration, memory recall or exhaustion. These are not failings. They are symptoms. Yet too often women blame themselves rather than recognising what they are experiencing.

That is why talking about menopause matters. One of the strongest messages from our discussion was the power of hearing someone else describe experiences that mirror your own. It reminds women that they are not alone and that what they are experiencing is real.

For too long, women have felt they simply need to "push through". While resilience is part of policing, menopause should not be something officers and staff are expected to endure in silence.

Support should be available, understood and embedded into workplace culture. We also need to move beyond the assumption that menopause support is simply about hot flushes and desk fans. Those things matter, but many of the challenges women describe relate to fatigue, concentration, sleep disruption, anxiety and confidence.

A woman who has slept poorly for weeks because of night sweats is unlikely to perform at her best. Someone experiencing severe brain fog may need flexibility or practical adjustments. A colleague managing menopause alongside another health condition may need additional support to continue working effectively.

These are not unreasonable requests. In many cases, simple adjustments can help experienced and highly capable people remain productive, engaged and healthy at work.

We also need managers to feel more confident having conversations about menopause. A change in performance should not automatically be viewed as a capability issue. Sometimes the most important question is not, "Why isn't this person performing?" but "Is there something we need to understand?"

Across policing, there are forces doing excellent work. We have seen menopause champions, support networks, workplace passports and wellbeing initiatives make a genuine difference to people's experiences.

The challenge is consistency. Too often, good practice depends on a passionate individual driving the agenda. When that person moves on, progress can stall. Women's experiences should not depend on where they work or who their line manager happens to be.

The good news is that menopause is receiving increasing attention at a national level, and employers are facing greater expectations around how they support staff. But policies alone are not enough.

Real change happens when understanding becomes part of everyday workplace culture. It happens when colleagues become allies, leaders listen and women feel able to ask for support without fear of judgement.

Most importantly, it happens when organisations recognise that supporting women through menopause is not simply a wellbeing issue. It is a retention issue, a performance issue and a workforce issue.

This World Menopause Day, let's recognise the progress we've made, but let's not mistake progress for completion.

There is still more to do. Let's keep talking, keep learning and keep improving support, so every woman in policing knows she does not have to navigate menopause alone.

Because no one should have to choose between their wellbeing and the career they have worked so hard to build.