Zora Health / Employer guide / Abu Dhabi
Support your experienced employees through menopause, and help them stay at their best.
Hot flushes, poor sleep and anxiety can hit your most experienced employees at the height of their careers, and many insurance plans leave menopause care uncovered. Zora Health helps you build practical menopause support, from workplace policies and manager training to confidential care navigation and access to 128+ partner clinics in 16 countries, around your workforce and budget. Companies including Hilton, LinkedIn, Sanofi, HSBC, Mastercard, Carousell and Singapore Management University work with us.
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Five things Abu Dhabi HR leaders should know
- In a national study of 742 women in the UAE, the median age of natural menopause was 48, and 45% reported hot flushes.
- Abu Dhabi has dedicated menopause services: Seha opened its first menopause clinic in 2022, M42 launched the Laha Wellness Hub in 2024 and Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City runs a perimenopause clinic.
- Employers must insure expatriate employees and their families, and UAE nationals are covered by Thiqa.
- Private-sector sick leave is up to 90 days a year: 15 days at full pay, 30 at half pay and the rest unpaid. There is no menopause leave.
- Abu Dhabi government employees can be approved for up to two hours a day of reduced hours for health reasons under the 2025 human resources rules.
Why menopause is a business problem for employers
Menopause rarely announces itself at work. It looks like a senior manager who slept four hours, a wave of heat in the middle of a client meeting, a word that will not come in front of the board. Symptoms come and go for years. Many women do not link them to menopause, and fewer tell their manager.
So the cost stays out of your reports. It shows up instead as:
- Earlier symptoms. In a national study of 742 women aged 40 and over, the median age of natural menopause was 48 and 45% reported hot flushes (Maturitas, 1998). Symptoms often begin while women are in senior roles.
- Confidence at work. In Deloitte’s Women @ Work 2025 UAE report, a third of respondents facing menopause-related challenges said anxiety undermined their confidence at work, and none received workplace health benefits for their symptoms (Deloitte, 2025). The base was only 15 women, so treat this as indicative.
- Gaps in cover. A Mediclinic gynaecologist told The National that many UAE plans do not cover hormone or menopause tests and treatment, and that pharmacies often run out of HRT (The National, March 2024).
- Unequal access. Employer-provided plans vary widely, so two employees with the same symptoms can face very different costs depending on their policy.
What employers gain
Keep the people who know how your business runs
Replacing an employee costs one-half to two times their annual salary, according to Gallup. Women’s labour force participation in the UAE was about 53% in 2025 (World Bank, ILO estimate). A written policy, trained managers and quick access to the right doctor can help address barriers that contribute to employee attrition.
Stand out to experienced women
Demand for menopause care is growing: Seha opened Abu Dhabi’s first dedicated menopause clinic in 2022 and M42 launched a menopause hub in 2024, and the Ministry of Health and Prevention is developing a national women’s health policy (Virgin Radio Dubai, 2023). Employers that fill gaps in insurance stand out.
Make menopause support financially predictable
Aon projects UAE medical trend at 11.0% for 2026 (Aon, 2026 report). Much of what helps menopause costs very little: a flexible start time, a fan, a manager who knows what to say.
Zora helps employers set an annual allowance or top-up around your health insurance, so HR can run the programme within an agreed budget. The benefit works alongside your existing insurance.
Want to see what this would look like for your Abu Dhabi workforce?
What menopause care costs, and what the state pays
Abu Dhabi employers must insure expatriate employees and their families, and UAE nationals are covered by Thiqa. Dedicated menopause clinics now operate in the emirate.
| Item | Public support | What the employee still carries |
|---|---|---|
| UAE nationals | Thiqa gives full coverage, subject to Weqaya screening for citizens aged 18 to 75 | Little out-of-pocket cost for covered care |
| Expatriate employees | Employer-provided insurance for employees, one spouse and up to three children under 18 | Cover for menopause care and hormone therapy depends on the plan |
| Dedicated menopause clinics | Seha, M42 and Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City offer menopause or perimenopause services | Fees depend on the provider and plan |
| Time off for appointments | Up to 90 days of sick leave a year: 15 at full pay, 30 at half pay | No menopause leave |
Insurance rules from u.ae; clinics from The National, M42 and Zawya. We could not find an official schedule of private consultation fees or confirm Basic Plan cover for menopause care. These are published examples, not guaranteed current prices: actual costs depend on cover, clinic, doctor and treatment, so confirm fees with the provider before budgeting.
Specialist care is available, but cover varies. Abu Dhabi has dedicated menopause clinics, yet whether an expatriate employee’s plan pays for treatment depends on the policy.
For employers, the practical opportunity is to help employees recognise their symptoms, understand what their plan covers and reach appropriate clinical advice sooner.
Menopause support that fits your workforce and budget
You do not need to overhaul your existing health insurance to support employees through menopause. Start with awareness and manager education, add confidential one-to-one support, or introduce a fuller programme across your offices. There is no minimum company size.
Where included in the employer programme, eligible employees can use talks and care navigation without paying Zora a separate fee. Care navigation allowances are set in each proposal. Treatment and other third-party costs are paid separately, either by employees or through the allowance their employer provides.
Companies starting the conversation
Essentials
Expert-led talks for employees and managers, menopause policy templates, manager guides and full access to the Zora app. Up to 2 talks a year.
Employees supported one to one
Navigation
Everything in Essentials, plus confidential one-to-one care navigation and access to our partner clinic network.
Large teams across countries
Complete
Everything in Navigation, plus quarterly anonymised reporting, a dedicated account manager and scheduled review meetings with HR.
Optional add-ons can be added to any programme, subject to availability: hormone diagnostics and telehealth with specialists. Pricing is tailored to your headcount, your countries and the services you choose. Most companies start with a single talk.
Request a proposal See how Zora works for employers
Comparing menopause benefit providers? Use our RFP question bank
Our question bank has 40 questions for multi-country benefits teams, with why each one matters, what a good answer looks like and a scoring sheet for three providers. Six of the questions for menopause support in Abu Dhabi:
- Is menopause support included as standard, or only fertility?
- What access do employees get to menopause specialists and hormone testing, and how quickly?
- How does the programme help employees reach Abu Dhabi menopause clinics and fill gaps in our health insurance?
- Do you provide fertility and menopause policy templates for our markets?
- How can an employee get help confidentially without telling their manager?
- What individual-level data does HR see?
Your download link appears as soon as you submit. Zora Health may contact you about employee benefits; see our privacy policy.
Plan your menopause benefit budget
Menopause care allowance planner
Model the annual claims budget for a menopause care allowance. Change any number.
This is a claims budget, not a Zora quotation. Zora’s programme fees, implementation and optional services are separate.
It estimates the annual budget for a menopause care allowance from your eligible workforce, expected utilisation and allowance per employee, and assumes each user claims the full allowance. Eligible employees defaults to 15% as a stand-in for women aged 45 and over; use your own headcount data. The default allowance of AED 3,000 is an illustrative figure for consultations, tests and treatment not covered by insurance. Utilisation is an editable assumption, not observed Zora data. For a proposal covering both programme costs and employee benefits, request an employer proposal.
Estimate the potential workforce impact of menopause symptoms
A rough planning scenario. It applies a published estimate to your headcount, so it is not a prediction for your workforce, a measured loss or a forecast of savings from any programme.
Range: AED 133,866 to AED 405,216 a year, depending on replacement cost.
Assumptions: 13.4% of working women aged 45 to 60 reported at least one adverse work outcome due to menopause symptoms, and those who missed work lost a median of 3 days a year (Faubion et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2023). This was a US clinic sample, so treat it as a rough benchmark for Abu Dhabi. No official average salary is published, so the default is an illustrative figure for corporate employees; use your own. Replacing an employee costs one-half to two times their annual salary (Gallup, 2019); the headline uses the low end. Absence is valued at salary divided by 250 working days. Exit rate is your own assumption.
Already have corporate health insurance? Here is where Zora fits
Your medical plan may cover some consultations and treatment. Employees still need to recognise their symptoms, understand their options and find a doctor who knows menopause care, and many never get that far.
Zora works alongside your existing insurance and benefits. We help employees get reliable information, navigate their care options and reach suitable specialists, and we give HR manager training, policy templates and, on the Complete programme, anonymised reporting. You strengthen menopause support without replacing your medical plan.
How Zora works
For your employees
Employees join the Zora app with a company code, or single sign-on for larger teams. They can learn about perimenopause and menopause, understand what your benefit covers, book a confidential care navigation call and find partner doctors and specialists.



For HR
- Kick-off, week 1. Agree goals, countries and which employees are eligible.
- Policy and benefit design, weeks 2 to 4. Draft or update your menopause policy and flexible work guidance using our templates.
- Launch, typically weeks 4 to 6. A launch talk for employees and managers, plus a communications pack for HR to send.
- Live support. Employees book care navigation calls and use the Zora app.
- Reporting, every 3 months, on the Complete programme. Anonymised usage, common themes and our recommendations, reviewed with your account manager.
Privacy
On the Complete programme, HR receives anonymised, aggregated reports only: how many employees used the programme, which services they used and the common themes. On every programme, HR never sees an individual employee’s health information, bookings or test results, and employees can get help without telling their manager. Employee data is stored on Amazon Web Services in Singapore and handled in line with Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act.
Clinics and doctors in Abu Dhabi
Zora’s directory lists 10 clinics and 38 doctors in Abu Dhabi. Of these clinics, 1 list menopause care among their services.
Employees can browse clinics in Abu Dhabi and find a doctor in Abu Dhabi on the Zora app. The directory is for information only and is not an endorsement. See Zora’s employer guides for every country.
Rules and eligibility in Abu Dhabi
Sick leave
Under Article 31 of Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021, private-sector employees who have completed probation can take up to 90 days of sick leave a year: the first 15 days at full pay, the next 30 at half pay and the rest unpaid (MOHRE; u.ae). There is no menopause leave.
Non-discrimination
Article 4 bans discrimination on grounds including sex, religion, national origin and disability, and requires equal pay for women doing the same work or work of equal value (Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021). Menopause is not named.
Flexible and remote work
Article 7 recognises flexible work, where hours or days change with the workload, alongside full-time, part-time and temporary work, and Article 18 lets a worker request remote work with the employer’s approval (Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021). Financial free zones such as DIFC and ADGM have their own employment laws.
Health insurance
Thiqa gives UAE nationals in Abu Dhabi full coverage, and employers and sponsors must insure expatriate employees and their families (u.ae). Basic plans do not specifically address menopause care.
Abu Dhabi government employees
Under the executive regulations of Law No. 8 of 2025, government employees get up to 15 working days of fully paid sick leave a year, and up to two hours a day of reduced hours can be approved for health reasons (Gulf News, April 2026). ADGM has its own employment law for its free zone.
Why employers choose Zora
Companies including Hilton, LinkedIn, Sanofi, HSBC, Mastercard, Carousell and Singapore Management University work with Zora Health. We work alongside your existing insurance, helping employees use the cover they already have and find suitable doctors and specialists based on their needs.
Zora Health helped me to reclaim my confidence to thrive at work!
Questions HR teams ask us
Do Abu Dhabi employers have to give menopause leave?
No. There is no menopause leave. Private-sector employees use sick leave under Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021, annual leave or flexible arrangements unless their employer offers more. ADGM has its own employment law.
Are there menopause clinics in Abu Dhabi?
Yes. Seha opened a dedicated menopause clinic in 2022, M42 launched the Laha Wellness Hub in 2024 for women aged 35 and over, and Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City runs a perimenopause clinic.
How much sick leave do private-sector employees get?
Up to 90 days a year after probation: the first 15 days at full pay, the next 30 at half pay and the rest unpaid.
Can employees get reduced hours for health reasons?
Abu Dhabi government employees can be approved for up to two hours a day of reduced hours for health reasons. Private employers set their own policies, within the labour law’s flexible work patterns.
Is menopause covered by UAE discrimination law?
Not by name. Article 4 bans discrimination on grounds including sex and disability, and some menopause-related situations may overlap with these.
Does Zora replace our health insurance?
No. Zora works alongside your insurance. We help employees understand their options, find suitable specialists and use the cover they already have.
How much does menopause support cost an employer?
It depends on the programme, any allowance and expected uptake. Use the budget planner on this page for a first estimate, then ask us for a tailored proposal based on your headcount and countries.
How quickly can we launch?
Typically 4 to 6 weeks from contract to launch, depending on scope and countries. Most companies start with a single talk.
Related guides for Abu Dhabi employers
Build a menopause support programme for your team
Whether you are introducing menopause benefits for the first time or improving an existing programme, tell us your headcount, countries and priorities. We will come back within two working days with suitable services, an indicative budget and a practical rollout plan for your Abu Dhabi team. No obligation.
Sources
- Rizk et al., The age and symptomatology of natural menopause among UAE women, Maturitas, 1998 (742 women aged 40 and over)
- Deloitte, Women @ Work 2025: UAE report
- The National, Menopause care in the UAE, March 2024
- World Bank, Female labour force participation (ILO modelled estimate)
- MOHRE, Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 and its amendments
- u.ae, Sick leave in the private sector
- Aon, Global Medical Trend Rates Report 2026
- u.ae, Health insurance
- The National, Seha opens Abu Dhabi’s first dedicated menopause clinic, June 2022
- M42, Laha Wellness Hub launch, March 2024
- Zawya, Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City perimenopause clinic
- Gulf News, 15 types of leave for Abu Dhabi government employees, April 2026
- Virgin Radio Dubai, UAE to craft comprehensive women’s health policy, August 2023
- Gallup, This fixable problem costs US businesses $1 trillion, 2019
- Mayo Clinic News Network, Faubion et al., Impact of menopause symptoms on women in the workplace, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, April 2023
