Menopause: I feared for my career, says Gatwick pilot

Suzanne Morgan successfully pushed for change at British Airways

A pilot has spoken about the fear she felt for her career as she approached the menopause and how she pushed for more support from her employer.

Suzanne Morgan, a captain with British Airways (BA), said: "I was quite fearful of how some of the symptoms might affect me and my career."

She spoke to BA and new measures were put in place, including guidelines, private GP access and a menopause café.

Research shows 900,000 women have quit their jobs due to the menopause.

Speaking at an event at Gatwick Airport chaired by the minister for social mobility, youth and progression, Mims Davies, the pilot of more than 25 years said her concern heading towards menopause was "the unknown".

"I was quite fearful of how some of the symptoms might affect me and my career, so I decided to educate myself and find out how I could manage it," she said.

Ms Morgan set up a WhatsApp group with her colleagues and then approached the wellbeing manager at work.

"We just needed some support from the company," she said.

Safe space

According to a British Menopause Society survey, 45% of women feel their menopause symptoms have a negative impact on their work.

However, only around a quarter of employers have a menopause policy, according to the government's menopause champion, Helen Tomlinson.

Ms Morgan said after speaking with BA, the airline facilitated private doctors' appointments, access to an online nurse practitioner and menopause guidelines.

It also set up a menopause café, so people could "have a chat in a safe space and share stories."

Most women go through the menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, with symptoms lasting about four years on average.

• What is the menopause and what are the signs?

Symptoms can include sleep, memory and concentration problems, hot flushes, anxiety and depression.

MP Mims Davies said too many women are stepping back at the height of their careers

The event chair Mims Davies, who is also MP for Mid Sussex, said although "some women sail through" menopause, many are severely impacted.

"It can be the reason they step back from the workplace, and in fact quite often at their most successful time, where they should be thriving, and literally flying, in their career," she said.

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