Two in three female employees who are told their fatigue and anxiety are “just part of life” received a new clinical diagnosis, a groundbreaking report has revealed.
Some 64 per cent of female employees were logging an average of five concurrent symptoms each, ranging from fatigue and anxiety to pain, brain fog and low mood, according to Hertility’s 2026 Workplace Report.
The diagnoses ranged from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), thyroid disorders and pelvic issues.
However, their symptoms were shrugged off by a narrative informed by years of medical dismissal, which normalises debilitating symptoms as “part of being a woman”.
Drawn from the reproductive health data of nearly 530,000 women, the report found more than one-third (37 per cent) of the total screened workforce had at least one hormone out of range, impacting mood, metabolism, and cognitive function.
Deirdre O’Neill, co-founder of Hertility, said: “For too long, women have been told their symptoms are normal, emotional or just part of life. That 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 minimising symptoms and start diagnosing them.
“We are changing the narrative that undermines our pain and treats our health as just ‘women’s issues.’ To do that, we need full support from individuals, businesses, insurers, and governments alike.”
While more than half of female employees (51.6 per cent) report chronic fatigue as their primary workplace barrier, nearly one in three (31.5 per cent) are living with symptoms indicative of undiagnosed iron deficiency anaemia, a treatable condition associated with cognitive dysfunction and exhaustion.
Heavy periods, pregnancy and stomach ulcers can cause iron deficiency anaemia. Symptoms can include tiredness, shortness of breath, heart palpitations and headaches.
Once the cause of the deficiency is found, it can be treated. But most commonly, iron supplements are recommended to boost the low levels of iron in the body.
Without proactive, accessible care, these symptoms inevitably escalate, forcing long-term sick leave and preventable early exits from the workforce, the report said.
Georgia Butler, 38, said she had been struggling with extreme period pain since she was 10 years old.
“As I entered the workforce, the struggle intensified. I remember sitting in the corner of a nursery I was working in, rocking back and forth in agony because I legally couldn't leave my post,” she said.
“I was eventually forced to change my career entirely after missing so much work, and I carried the weight of a ‘bad reputation,’ a stigma I know many women with severe period pain face.”
Ms Butler was eventually diagnosed with extensive endometriosis, PCOS and adenomyosis, following an excruciating journey of being “gaslit by medical professionals and had to endure living with debilitating symptoms that impacted my life and career”.
Although private medical insurance is the most popular workplace health benefit, and admissions reached record highs in 2025, most traditional policies structurally exclude or limit coverage for hormonal, maternal, and reproductive health.
Insurers often categorise these as chronic or elective, leaving women to navigate an NHS gynaecology backlog of more than 750,000 people, leaving conditions to escalate and symptoms to become disruptive.
Ms Butler added: “My old employer introduced Hertility as a workplace benefit and it is truly needed, people deserve early access to screening and to be taken seriously from the start.
“No one should have to wait over two decades to be heard, which is why I am now so open about my health and an advocate for women’s health. It shouldn't be a ‘tick-box’ exercise in businesses, it should be a fundamental part of workplace culture to enable women to take control of their health at an early stage and be able to make informed decisions about their future.”
An NHS spokesperson said: “Too often we hear of women struggling to access care or seeing their health concerns dismissed, and the NHS is actively addressing this through education and training of staff and improving services including establishing women’s health clinics in local communities adding to what is already provided by the GP.
“These community services can give thousands more women access to specialist support closer to their homes, improving their experiences of care, while speeding up diagnosis and treatment - and this will be expanded further through the roll out of neighbourhood health services as part of our 10 Year Health Plan.”
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