Many women plan work around their menstrual cycle
A new media summary reports that four in ten women take their cycle into account, while employers often have little policy in place.
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Women sometimes adjust appointments, sport and work around their menstrual cycle or menopause, according to an RTL report published on Monday. The public summary cites a figure of 40 per cent, but contains no complete research design or source information with which that figure can be independently assessed.
The summary describes women deliberately scheduling appointments in a more energetic week or adapting their sport around menstruation. Symptoms are also said to affect work. It is unclear whether the stated percentage comes from a representative survey, a commercial poll or another form of research.
Existing research does show that hormone-related symptoms at work often remain unspoken. A factsheet by TNO and Arboportaal, based on data from 3,787 employees, reports that 80 per cent of female employees sometimes or regularly experience such symptoms. According to the factsheet, the symptoms affect work for 39 per cent.
According to the same factsheet, only 12 per cent of women discuss their symptoms with a manager. The researchers recommend, among other things, an open workplace culture and scope for tailored arrangements. This does not mean that every employer should introduce a separate menstruation policy or that employees should share medical information.
The precise meaning of the new RTL figure therefore remains uncertain. Employers can nevertheless take account of general needs relevant to many employees, such as flexible working hours, opportunities to work at a slower pace temporarily and access to an occupational physician. Such measures need not be linked to one specific condition or stage of life.
There is no reason to assess groups of employees differently on the basis of cycle information or to assign them different tasks automatically. Symptoms vary greatly from person to person, and not every menstruating employee experiences difficulties. For medical questions about persistent or severe symptoms, an employee can turn to a doctor or occupational physician, not to general online conclusions.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- A current media summary reports that women plan work and appointments around their cycle.
- TNO reports that hormone-related symptoms affect work for some female employees.
- Most women do not discuss such symptoms with their manager.
- No public nationwide baseline survey was found on employer policies specifically concerning menstrual symptoms.
Left
Arguments Employers should organise work so that menstrual and menopausal symptoms do not become a hidden career barrier. Flexibility, safe conversations and adjustments should be available without employees having to prove their medical situation.
Values Equality, inclusion and protection against discrimination.
Consequences More tailored arrangements may limit absenteeism and drop-out, but require training for managers and clear privacy rules.
Centre
Arguments Employers are best advised to offer broad, voluntary provisions that work for everyone, such as flexible working hours and an occupational physician. A separate policy should be introduced only if research and employees’ experiences provide grounds for it.
Values Privacy, practicality and scientifically grounded policy.
Consequences This approach prevents medicalisation, but may offer too little help if symptoms are systematically underestimated.
Right
Arguments Employers should take health into account, but organisations cannot create a separate rota for every individual situation. General flexibility and clear performance agreements are better than a policy that assigns employees work based on their cycle.
Values Equal treatment, predictability and responsibility on the part of both employer and employee.
Consequences This keeps rotas manageable, but may give employees with severe symptoms insufficient scope.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The context on hormone-related symptoms is well supported by a TNO factsheet. The current figure of 40 per cent remains uncertain because the underlying study was not publicly available.
- uncertain RTL reports that 40 per cent of women take their cycle or menopause into account. — The claim appears in a public summary, but the method and original study are not available. source
- confirmed 80 per cent of female employees sometimes or regularly experience hormone-related symptoms. — This figure appears in the TNO factsheet, based on NEA data. source
- confirmed For 39 per cent, the symptoms affect work. — This is stated in the factsheet by TNO and Arboportaal. source
- confirmed Only 12 per cent discuss symptoms with a manager. — This percentage appears in the TNO factsheet. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: Four in ten women take their cycle into account.Now: A public summary by RTL reports that four in ten women take their cycle or menopause into account; the underlying method is not available. (The original study could not be independently checked.)
Editor's note
The current RTL report is publicly available only as a brief summary. The 40-per-cent claim and the research method could therefore not be fully checked; the article explicitly keeps that claim provisional.Sources
- Van presentatie tot sportschool: veel vrouwen plannen om hun cyclus heen — Nieuwskoerier, samenvatting van RTL Nieuws
- Nieuw: factsheet over hormoongerelateerde gezondheidsklachten bij vrouwen en de impact op werk — Arboportaal
- Factsheet hormoongerelateerde gezondheidsklachten bij vrouwen — TNO en Arboportaal
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „menstruatie cyclus”
- NOS — „menstruatie cyclus”
- Het Parool — „menstruatie cyclus”