Menopause Benefits for Employers in the UAE

Written by Anna Haotanto, Founder, Zora Health. Last reviewed: November 2026. General information, not legal or medical advice. This guide covers what your employees go through, what care costs, what the rules ask of you and how to build menopause support.

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

What menopause care costs, and what the state pays

Employers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi must provide health insurance for their employees, and UAE nationals in Abu Dhabi are covered by Thiqa. What menopause care costs an employee depends heavily on the plan.

Plan terms from the Dubai Health Authority Essential Benefits Plan (from 1 January 2025); insurance rules from u.ae; cover gaps from The National. We could not find an official schedule of private consultation fees. 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.

Insurance is the biggest gap. Many UAE plans do not cover hormone tests or menopause treatment, so employees often pay themselves.

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.

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

Plan your menopause benefit budget

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

1. Kick-off, week 1. Agree goals, countries and which employees are eligible.
2. Policy and benefit design, weeks 2 to 4. Draft or update your menopause policy and flexible work guidance using our templates.
3. Launch, typically weeks 4 to 6. A launch talk for employees and managers, plus a communications pack for HR to send.
4. Live support. Employees book care navigation calls and use the Zora app.
5. 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 the UAE

Zora’s directory lists 25 clinics and 112 doctors in the UAE. Locations include Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, and 3 of the clinics list menopause care among their services.

Employees can browse clinics in the UAE and find a doctor in the UAE 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 the UAE

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.

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Zora Health helped me to reclaim my confidence to thrive at work!

Questions HR teams ask us

Do UAE employers have to give menopause leave?

No. There is no menopause leave. Employees use sick leave under Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021, annual leave or flexible arrangements unless their employer offers more.

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.

Does health insurance cover menopause care?

It depends on the plan. Dubai’s basic Essential Benefits Plan does not name menopause care or hormone therapy, and a UAE gynaecologist told The National in 2024 that many plans do not cover hormone tests or treatment. Check your policy wording.

Can an employee request remote work because of menopause symptoms?

Article 18 of the labour law lets a worker request remote work with the employer’s approval, and Article 7 recognises flexible work patterns. The decision rests with the employer, so a clear policy helps.

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.

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