Health warning to female employees told fatigue and anxiety are ‘part of being a woman’
Two in three female workers, whose fatigue and anxiety are said to be “a part of life”, have been given a new clinical diagnosis, a groundbreaking report has revealed.
About 64 percent of female workers recorded an average of five concurrent symptoms, ranging from fatigue and anxiety to pain, confusion and low mood. Hertility’s 2026 Workplace Report.
Diagnoses ranged from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), thyroid disorders, and pelvic problems.
But her symptoms were ignored, informed by years of medical dismissals, with a narrative that normalized debilitating symptoms as “part of being a woman.”
The report, drawn from reproductive health data on nearly 530,000 women, found that more than a third (37%) of the total workforce screened had at least one hormone that affects mood, metabolism and cognitive function out of range.
Deirdre O’Neill, co-founder of Hertility, said: “For too long women have been told that their symptoms are normal, emotional or just part of life. This narrative has allowed clinical gaps to persist for decades.”
“The data now makes one thing clear: Unmanaged biology is costing businesses talent. If we want healthier teams and sustainable growth, we need to stop minimizing symptoms and start diagnosing.”
“We are changing the narrative that belittles our suffering and treats our health as merely a ‘women’s issue.’ To do this, we need the full support of individuals, businesses, insurance companies and governments.”
More than half (51.6 percent) of female workers report chronic fatigue as a primary barrier at work, while nearly a third (31.5 percent) live with symptoms of undiagnosed iron deficiency anemia, a treatable condition associated with cognitive dysfunction and fatigue.
Heavy menstrual periods, pregnancy and stomach ulcers can cause iron deficiency anemia. Symptoms may include fatigue, shortness of breath, heart palpitations and headache.
Once the cause of the deficiency is identified, it can be treated. But most commonly, iron supplements are recommended to increase low iron levels in the body.
Without proactive, accessible care, these symptoms inevitably increase, leading to extended sick leave and preventable early departures from the workforce, the report states.
Georgia Butler, 38, said she has been struggling with extreme menstrual pain since she was 10 years old.
“The struggle intensified as I entered the workforce. I remember sitting in the corner of a day care center where I worked, rocking back and forth in pain because I couldn’t legally leave my position,” she said.
“I eventually had to change careers completely after missing so much work and carrying the weight of a ‘bad reputation,’ a stigma many women with severe period pain face.”
After an excruciating journey in which she “had to endure being gassed by medical professionals and living with debilitating symptoms that affected my life and career,” Ms Butler was eventually diagnosed with widespread endometriosis, PCOS and adenomyosis.
While private health insurance is the most popular workplace health insurance and applications have reached record levels in 2025, most traditional policies structurally exclude or limit coverage for hormonal, maternal and reproductive health.
Insurers often categorize these as chronic or elective, leaving women with an NHS gynecology backlog of more than 750,000, causing conditions to escalate and symptoms to become distressing.
Ms Butler added: “My former employer introduced Hertility as a workplace benefit and it is really needed, people deserve early access to screening and to be taken seriously from the start.
“No one should have to wait over twenty years to be heard, which is why I’m now so open about my health and an advocate for women’s health. This shouldn’t be a ‘tick box’ exercise in business, it should be a core part of workplace culture to ensure women can take control of their health at an early stage and make informed decisions about their future.”
An NHS spokesperson He said: “We hear all too often that women are struggling to access care or that their health concerns are being ignored, and the NHS is actively addressing this through education and training of staff and improving services, including the establishment of women’s health clinics in local communities in addition to those already provided by the GP.
“These community services can provide thousands more women with access to specialist support closer to home by improving their experience of care while accelerating diagnosis and treatment, and this will be further expanded with the rollout of neighborhood health services as part of our 10 Year Health Plan.”
