Zora Health / Employer guide / Europe
Compare menopause support for employees across 28 markets in Europe.
Public cover, sick pay and workplace rules for menopause differ from one market to the next. This page puts the main points from each of Zora’s country guides side by side, so you can see where employees carry the most cost and where the rules are changing. Each country guide has the full detail and sources.
Overview
| Country | Medical cost trend, 2026 | Workplace rules covered in the guide |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | 2.5% | Sick pay (Applies now); Parliamentary motion (Proposed); No menopause workplace rules (Guidance); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Belgium | 11.9% | Guaranteed salary (Applies now); New sick leave rules (From 1 January 2026); Chamber resolution (Proposed, December 2025); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Bulgaria | 21.0% | Sick pay (Applies now); No menopause workplace rules (Guidance); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Croatia | 10.0% | Supplementary health insurance (Applies now); No menopause workplace rules (Guidance); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Czech Republic | 3.7% | Sick pay (Applies now); Gynaecology payments (From 2026); No menopause workplace rules (Guidance); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Denmark | 5.0% | Sickness benefit (Applies now); Region Hovedstaden (Public sector); No menopause workplace rules (Guidance); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Estonia | 20.0% | Patient fees (Applies now); No menopause workplace rules (Guidance); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Finland | 5.0% | Sickness allowance (Applies now); Helsinki council motion (Local); No menopause workplace rules (Guidance); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| France | 4.5% | Act before the rules catch up (Get ahead of policy); Non-discrimination (Applies now); Mid-career occupational health visit (Applies now); Sick pay (Applies now); Telework (Applies now); Menopause bills (Proposed); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Germany | 7.2% | Continued pay during illness (Applies now); General Equal Treatment Act (Applies now); Part-time work (Applies now); Risk assessment (Applies now); National menopause strategy (Pending); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Greece | 8.0% | Sick pay (Applies now); Equal treatment (Applies now); Flexible work (Applies now); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Hungary | 10.0% | Sick pay (Applies now); No menopause workplace rules (Guidance); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Ireland | 10.0% | Employment Equality Acts (Applies now); Statutory sick leave (Applies now); Remote and flexible working requests (Since 7 March 2024); Free hormone therapy (Since 1 June 2025); Civil Service framework (Since October 2023); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Italy | 7.0% | Sick pay (Applies now); Smart working (Applies now); No menopause law (No legislation); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Lithuania | 11.0% | Sick pay (Applies now); No menopause workplace rules (Guidance); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Luxembourg | 6.0% | Continued pay during sickness (Applies now); No menopause workplace rules (Guidance); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Netherlands | 5.6% | Act before sickness absence starts (Reduce long-term absence); Sick pay and the Gatekeeper Improvement Act (Applies now); Equal treatment (Applies now); Flexible working (Since 2016); National guidance (Since November 2023); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Norway | 8.0% | Sick pay (Applies now); Storting proposal on women’s health and menopause (Proposed, January 2026); Bergen kommune (Public sector) |
| Poland | 10.0% | Sick pay (Applies now); Perimenopause consultation (Announced); No menopause workplace rules (Guidance); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Portugal | 10.0% | Sickness benefit (Applies now); Reimbursing menopause treatment (Proposed, 2024); No menopause workplace rules (Guidance); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Romania | 15.0% | Sick pay (Applies now); Flexible work (Applies now); Equal treatment (Applies now); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Serbia | 15.0% | Health insurance co-payments (Applies now); No menopause workplace rules (Guidance) |
| Slovakia | 3.0% | Sick pay (Applies now); No menopause workplace rules (Guidance); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Spain | 10.0% | Sick pay (Applies now); Menstrual leave, not menopause leave (Since 1 June 2023); Adapting working time (Applies now); Prescription co-payments (Since 14 May 2026); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Sweden | 13.0% | Sick pay (Applies now); Work environment and discrimination (Applies now); National care guidelines (October 2025); Riksdag motion (Proposed); EU strategy and a new standard (European Union) |
| Switzerland | 5.0% | Sick pay (Applies now); Gender Equality Act (Applies now); Hormone therapy cover (Since 1 September 2025); Cantonal parliaments (Under discussion) |
| Ukraine | 24.0% | Martial-law labour rules (Since March 2022); Free public care (Applies now); No menopause workplace rules (Guidance) |
| United Kingdom | 12.0% | Get ahead of menopause action plans (Meet new expectations); Equality Act 2010 and EHRC guidance (Since February 2024); Menopause action plans (Since 6 April 2026); Flexible working from day one (Since 6 April 2024); Statutory sick pay (Since 6 April 2026); No statutory menopause leave (Leave) |
Public cover and costs by country
Each card shows what public cover or mandatory insurance pays for and what the employee still carries, as set out in that country’s guide.
Europe
Austria
- Prescription medicines. Covered by public health insurance. Employee still carries: a prescription fee of €7.55 per item in 2026.
- e-card service fee. Annual fee for public health insurance access. Employee still carries: €25 for 2026; €26.85 for 2027.
- Time off for appointments. Employer pays full salary for 6 to 12 weeks depending on service, then half salary for 4 weeks. Employee still carries: no menopause leave.
Europe
Belgium
- Specialist menopause consultation. Not yet funded; a December 2025 Chamber resolution calls for a fully covered long consultation for women aged 45 to 65. Employee still carries: consultation fees, less any reimbursement.
- Time off for appointments. Employer pays guaranteed salary for the first 30 days; the mutual insurer then pays 60% of capped gross salary in the first year. Employee still carries: the gap to full pay after day 30.
- Certificate-free sick days. Cut from 3 to 2 a year from 1 January 2026. Employee still carries: medical certificates for other absences.
Europe
Bulgaria
- GP visit. Covered by the NHIF. Employee still carries: a user fee of €1.48, or €0.51 for pensioners.
- Specialist care. Covered on a GP referral. Employee still carries: private fees for direct or faster access.
- Hospital stay. Covered by the NHIF. Employee still carries: €0.51 a day for the first 10 days.
Europe
Croatia
- Primary care, specialist exams and diagnostics. Covered by HZZO. Employee still carries: co-payments, unless covered by supplementary insurance.
- Supplementary insurance (dopunsko). Covers co-payments for primary care, prescriptions, hospital, specialist exams and diagnostics; state-funded for low incomes. Employee still carries: the premium, and top-ups for drugs on the supplementary list.
- Prescription medicines. Covered by HZZO. Employee still carries: co-payments, and top-ups for supplementary-list drugs.
Europe
Czech Republic
- Preventive gynaecology check. One free check a year for women from age 15, with VZP. Employee still carries: nothing for the check.
- Gynaecology care. Covered by public health insurance; from 2026 gynaecologists are paid monthly per registered patient. Employee still carries: any uncovered treatment.
- Time off for appointments. Employer pays 60% of reduced average earnings for days 1 to 14; then ČSSZ pays 60%, rising to 66% and 72%. Employee still carries: the gap to full pay.
Europe
Denmark
- GP and specialist visits. Free for residents; group 1 needs a GP referral to see a gynaecologist. Employee still carries: nothing for group 1; group 2 pays the difference above the subsidy.
- Prescription medicines, including oestrogen therapy. Subsidy rises from 50% to 100% as annual spending grows. Employee still carries: the first DKK 1,135 a year, then a falling share.
- Time off for appointments. Employer pays sickness benefit for the first 30 calendar days. Employee still carries: no menopause leave.
Europe
Estonia
- Family doctor visit. Free of charge. Employee still carries: up to €5 for a home visit.
- Specialist outpatient visit. Covered by Tervisekassa. Employee still carries: up to €20, or €5 for some groups.
- Prescription medicines. Discounts of 50%, 75% (90%) or 100% depending on the medicine. Employee still carries: €3.50 per prescription plus any amount above the reference price.
Europe
Finland
- Public health care fees. Annual cap of €815 in 2026; example fees in Kymenlaakso: €30.20 for a health centre doctor, €71.30 for a specialist outpatient visit. Employee still carries: fees up to the cap.
- Prescription medicines. Annual ceiling of €636.12, then €2.50 per reimbursed product. Employee still carries: costs up to the ceiling.
- Time off for appointments. Kela sickness allowance after the day of illness plus 9 working days; employer sick pay before that under collective agreements. Employee still carries: no menopause leave.
Europe
France
- Gynaecologist consultation (secteur 1). €37 fee, of which €23.90 is reimbursed (70% less the €2 participation). Employee still carries: the balance, usually covered by a mutuelle; doctors in secteur 2 may charge more.
- GP consultation (secteur 1). €30 fee, 70% reimbursed with a médecin traitant. Employee still carries: €2 participation per consultation, capped at €70 a year.
- Hormone therapy. Common treatments such as estradiol gel and micronised progesterone reimbursed at 65%. Employee still carries: for example, €5.94 for estradiol gel and €7.03 for 15 progesterone capsules before reimbursement.
- Time off for appointments. Social security pays 50% of the basic daily wage after three waiting days, up to €42.97 a day. Employee still carries: employer top-up after one year’s service, after seven waiting days.
Europe
Germany
- GP or gynaecologist visit. Covered by statutory health insurance. Employee still carries: doctors have no billing code for menopause counselling, so longer conversations may be short or charged privately.
- Prescription medicines, including hormone therapy. Covered when prescribed under statutory insurance. Employee still carries: co-payment of 10% of the price, at least €5 and at most €10 per item.
- Time off for appointments. Employers continue full pay for up to six weeks of incapacity, after four weeks of employment. Employee still carries: no menopause leave.
Europe
Greece
- Public primary care and hospitals. No co-payment for the EOPYY benefits package. Employee still carries: waiting times, or private fees for faster care.
- EOPYY-contracted private providers. Covered, with co-payments set in the Unified Health Benefits Regulation. Employee still carries: the co-payment.
- Time off for appointments. Employer pays 50% of daily wage for days 1 to 3; EFKA sickness benefit from day 4. Employee still carries: no menopause leave.
Europe
Hungary
- GP and specialist care. Generally free of charge; secondary care at the designated provider for your residence. Employee still carries: private fees for faster care.
- Prescription medicines. NEAK covers part or all of the cost of listed medicines. Employee still carries: the patient share.
- Time off for appointments. Employer pays 70% of daily gross earnings for up to 15 working days; then sickness benefit at 60% (50% in some cases). Employee still carries: the gap to full pay.
Europe
Ireland
- GP consultation. Free only for GP visit card or medical card holders. Employee still carries: around €50 to €70 a visit in some regions.
- Hormone therapy. Free since 1 June 2025 for HSE-reimbursable products, including the dispensing fee, for women on the Drugs Payment Scheme or with a medical card. Employee still carries: products outside the HSE list are paid for by the employee.
- Time off for appointments. Statutory sick leave of five days a year at 70% of pay, capped at €110 a day, after 13 weeks’ service. Employee still carries: no menopause leave; employer sick pay depends on the contract.
Europe
Italy
- Specialist gynaecology visit in the SSN. National tariff for a first specialist visit of €26 since 21 September 2026. Employee still carries: ticket co-payment capped at €36.15 per prescription in most regions.
- Hormone therapy. Some products are Class C, so not reimbursed. Employee still carries: the employee pays the full price for Class C products.
- Time off for appointments. INPS sick pay of 50% of average daily pay from day 4 to day 20 and 66.66% from day 21. Employee still carries: days 1 to 3 and any top-up depend on the collective agreement.
Europe
Lithuania
- Family doctor and specialists. Covered; specialists need a family doctor’s referral, except dermatology and venereology. Employee still carries: private fees for direct or faster access.
- Reimbursed medicines. Covered at the reference price. Employee still carries: the difference to the retail price, up to 25% of the reference price and €5.87 a package.
- Time off for appointments. Employer pays days 1 and 2 at 62.06% to 100% of average earnings; SoDra pays 62.06% from day 3. Employee still carries: the gap to full pay.
Europe
Luxembourg
- Doctor consultations. Covered up to 88% of the official tariff; no referral needed for specialists. Employee still carries: about 12% of the tariff.
- Prescription medicines. 80% standard rate; 100% for some serious or chronic illnesses; 40% for non-essential products. Employee still carries: the remaining share.
- Hospital stay. Covered. Employee still carries: €26.14 a day in a second-class room.
Europe
Netherlands
- GP visit. Covered by basic insurance, with no deductible. Employee still carries: waiting times vary by practice.
- Gynaecologist or menopause clinic. Covered by basic insurance on referral. Employee still carries: counts towards the €385 annual deductible.
- Medicines, including hormone therapy. Most covered by basic insurance. Employee still carries: count towards the deductible; a co-payment of up to €250 a year applies if a more expensive medicine is chosen.
- Time off for appointments. Employer pays at least 70% of wages for up to two years of sickness. Employee still carries: no menopause leave.
Europe
Norway
- GP visit, 2026. Public care with a user fee. Employee still carries: NOK 179 daytime, NOK 301 evening.
- Specialist consultation. Public care with a user fee. Employee still carries: NOK 443 daytime.
- Annual cap. Exemption card after NOK 3,278 in approved user fees in 2026. Employee still carries: fees up to the cap.
- Time off for appointments. Employer pays sick pay for the first 16 days, then NAV, for up to 52 weeks. Employee still carries: income above 6 times the basic amount.
Europe
Poland
- Perimenopause consultation. The Health Minister announced an NFZ-funded educational consultation with a midwife for women in the perimenopause, due from 2026. Employee still carries: we could not confirm it has launched.
- Private medical packages. Offered by many employers for faster gynaecology access. Employee still carries: services outside the package.
- Time off for appointments. Employer sick pay at 80% for the first 33 days a year (14 days for employees over 50), then ZUS. Employee still carries: 20% of pay.
Europe
Portugal
- SNS consultations. No user fees since May 2022, except for emergency visits without referral. Employee still carries: waiting times, or private fees for faster care.
- Hormone therapy. Not fully reimbursed; a 2024 proposal called for full state reimbursement of menopause treatments. Employee still carries: the unreimbursed share.
- Time off for appointments. Segurança Social sickness benefit from day 4: 55% up to 30 days, then 60%, 70% and 75%. Employee still carries: the first 3 days and the gap to full pay.
Europe
Romania
- Family doctor and specialist visits. In the basic package; specialists usually need a referral. Employee still carries: private fees for faster care.
- Compensated medicines. CNAS pays 20% to 100% of the reference price, depending on the sublist. Employee still carries: the remaining share.
- Hormone therapy. CNAS protocol G002N covers HRT for early menopause, moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms that do not respond to other therapy, and some other indications. Employee still carries: we could not confirm the co-payment.
Europe
Serbia
- List A medicines. Covered by RFZO. Employee still carries: RSD 50 per dispensed quantity.
- List A1 medicines. Partly covered. Employee still carries: 10% to 90% of the retail price.
- Annual cap on co-payments. Co-payments stop above the cap. Employee still carries: at most half of one monthly salary or pension.
Europe
Slovakia
- GP care. Free under a written agreement with the GP. Employee still carries: nothing for the visit.
- Specialist outpatient care. Covered, generally on a GP referral. Employee still carries: private fees for faster care.
- Prescription medicines. Covered, with co-payments of different amounts for many medicines. Employee still carries: the co-payment and a small pharmacy fee.
Europe
Spain
- Primary care and gynaecology in the public system. Covered by the SNS; access to gynaecology varies by region. Employee still carries: waiting times vary by region.
- Prescription medicines, including hormone therapy. Subsidised by the SNS, with income-based co-payments since 14 May 2026. Employee still carries: working people pay 40% to 60% of the price depending on income, with monthly caps of €8.23 to €61.75 for incomes up to €35,000.
- Time off for appointments. Sick pay from day 4 at 60%, rising to 75% from day 21. Employee still carries: no menopause leave.
Europe
Sweden
- Outpatient visits. Fees set by each region, with a cap of SEK 1,450 a year for outpatient visits. Employee still carries: fees up to the cap.
- Prescription medicines. Discounts above SEK 2,000 a year; free after SEK 3,800 in a 12-month period. Employee still carries: up to SEK 3,800 a year.
- Time off for appointments. Employer sick pay at 80% for days 1 to 14, minus a waiting-day deduction; then Försäkringskassan pays about 80%. Employee still carries: the deduction and the 20% gap.
Europe
Switzerland
- Doctor or gynaecologist visit. Covered by basic insurance after the deductible (ordinarily CHF 300 a year). Employee still carries: 10% co-payment above the deductible, capped at CHF 700 a year for adults.
- Estradiol patch (Estradot). No longer covered by basic insurance since 1 September 2025. Employee still carries: about CHF 40 for a 24-pack, roughly 12 weeks, at one Bern pharmacy; supplementary insurance may pay part.
- Uncovered gynaecology check-up. Basic insurance covers set preventive exams only. Employee still carries: typically CHF 150 to CHF 300 when self-paid.
- Time off for appointments. No statutory menopause leave. Employee still carries: sick pay set by Article 324a of the Code of Obligations or sickness daily benefit insurance.
Europe
Ukraine
- Programme of Medical Guarantees. Free emergency, primary, specialised, palliative and rehabilitation care, with e-referrals. Employee still carries: private fees for faster care.
- Affordable Medicines. Some prescription medicines reimbursed fully or partly. Employee still carries: medicines outside the programme.
- Time off for appointments. Set by the Labour Code and martial-law rules. Employee still carries: no menopause leave.
Europe
United Kingdom
- NHS GP appointment. Free at the point of use. Employee still carries: waits for appointments and for specialist menopause clinics vary by area.
- Hormone therapy on prescription in England. HRT prescription prepayment certificate: £19.80 for 12 months, covering eligible HRT items. Employee still carries: without a certificate, £9.90 per item; not every HRT medicine is covered.
- Private menopause consultation. No public subsidy. Employee still carries: £190 to £429 for a first consultation at listed private clinics; follow-ups from about £110.
- Time off for appointments. Statutory sick pay of £123.25 a week or 80% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, from the first day of absence since 6 April 2026. Employee still carries: no statutory menopause leave; employer sick pay depends on the contract.
Related guides
Menopause benefits compared: Asia PacificPublic cover and workplace rules by countryMenopause benefits compared: Middle East and AfricaPublic cover and workplace rules by countryMenopause benefits compared: AmericasPublic cover and workplace rules by countryEmployer guides by countryFertility and menopause guides for 85 marketsMenopause corporate benefits guideOptions for designing a menopause benefit
Sources
- Aon, The Global Medical Trend Rates Report 2026
- Aon, APAC employee medical plan costs to stabilise in 2026 (October 2025)
- Public cover, costs and workplace rules: the sources listed on each country guide linked above
Plan menopause support across Europe
Tell us where your teams are and we will walk you through the options for each country.