By the time a woman tells someone at work that her health is affecting her, she may already have spent months trying to manage symptoms, appointments, uncertainty and work at the same time.
She may have kept turning up. Worked through pain or fatigue. Changed how she works without anyone noticing. She may still not have a diagnosis.
And now she has decided to tell you.
You may only hear that sentence once.
The way you respond can determine whether she feels safe enough to continue.
Often the impact isn't visible as absence. Women may still be at work while symptoms affect concentration, energy, comfort, confidence or productivity.
In a Dutch survey of 32,748 women aged 15–45, 80.7% reported reduced productivity while present at work or school during menstruation-related symptoms. The study estimated 8.9 equivalent days of productivity lost per year through presenteeism.
In a 2026 study of 4,000 Japanese working women aged 40–60, 44.1% said they did not feel able to discuss menopausal health concerns at work and 31.0% were unsure. Only 25.0% said yes.
Among 1,058 respondents reporting physician-diagnosed PCOS, 72% said PCOS affected the quality of their work; 50.4% reported missing work and 51.5% felt held back at work.
A woman may be turning up and managing around symptoms without anyone knowing. You don't need to recognise the condition. You need to recognise the person in front of you.
A calm, respectful, non-judgemental conversation can make a significant difference.
Ask what is making work difficult and what might help rather than seeking unnecessary medical detail.
Your job is not to prove a diagnosis. It is to understand the work interface and explore practical support.
You don't need a specialist script. Start with five simple actions.
The useful workplace conversation is about impact: what has become difficult, what could reduce that impact and what is realistically possible.
A thoughtful response is not about having perfect words. It is about noticing your assumptions, listening to the person in front of you and responding without judgement.
Managers do not need to become counsellors. But they do influence whether work becomes another source of pressure for someone already managing a difficult health experience.
The Bridge cannot depend entirely on a woman having the right words, the right diagnosis or the confidence to advocate perfectly for herself.
You don't need to know everything. You do need to create the conditions for a safe and useful workplace conversation.
This can become the manager toolkit as Women Working Well grows.
A structure for opening, listening and agreeing next steps.
Questions around tasks, time, environment and people.
Practical options to explore rather than a one-size-fits-all list.
Review support without making her repeat the whole story.
Start by listening. Understand the work impact. Respect privacy. Explore what might help. Then keep the conversation open.