On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, Janet Ko and Trish Barbato, co-founders of the Menopause Foundation of Canada, testified to the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women. The committee is studying the "labour force impacts of menopause and perimenopause," and SOGC president Nicholas Leyland was also scheduled to appear (iPolitics). The foundation's headline estimate is that unmanaged menopause symptoms cost the Canadian economy $3.5 billion and 540,000 lost workdays a year. Women also lose $3.3 billion in income through reduced hours, lesser roles or leaving work altogether (CBC News).

Why It Matters

**This is the investment case for menopause telehealth in one hearing.** A sourced economic-loss figure, an all-party committee showing personal interest, employer coalitions forming, and a public system that won't pay for first-line treatment in eight of ten provinces: those are the conditions in which DTC menopause care grows quickly. They also follow from the [estradiol-patch shortage](/stories/estradiol-patch-shortage-fda-action) and the [M&A rush into women's health](/stories/cinven-acquires-theramex-womens-health). Canada is following the US and UK pattern of awareness running ahead of the public system, with private clinics working in between. The foundation's "national quality standard" request matters for operators too, because it would start to separate physician-led clinics from naturopath- and supplement-led ones. The Globe notes that standards of care currently vary widely. **For employers and benefits platforms**, the UK-style mandatory action plan is the policy to watch. If Ottawa or a province adopts it, menopause benefits move from optional perk to compliance requirement. That would open a B2B channel for virtual menopause clinics. Europe is moving the same way: [Spain's paid menopause sick leave](/stories/spain-menopause-sick-leave-december) starts December 1.

What they asked for. Barbato's first priority was to make menopause education mandatory in medical training. "This is the greatest barrier today for women. They cannot get the help they need," she said. Federally, the foundation wants a national quality standard on menopause care. It also asked for benefit programs to be reviewed so that hormonal and non-hormonal treatments are covered, citing BMO, which has added pelvic-floor therapy. And it recommended copying the UK, where the 2025 Employment Rights Act will require employers with more than 250 staff to publish a menopause action plan. More than 250 Canadian employers, including Sun Life, BMO, PwC, IKEA and Metrolinx, have joined the foundation's "Menopause Works Here" campaign. Ko said women over 40 now make up a quarter of Canada's workforce, "the largest share in the nation's history." Conservative MP Kelly DeRidder said: "I'm actually starting to question myself: am I burnt out or am I going through menopause? I don't know."

The care gap is creating a private market. The Globe and Mail's November 3 investigation reports that only British Columbia and Manitoba publicly cover menopausal hormone therapy. Newer non-hormonal drugs such as Veozah and Lynkuet are approved by Health Canada but not fully publicly covered. An Ipsos survey for GreenShield found four in 10 Canadian women don't know where to go for treatment, and a third waited more than two years for effective care. Private and virtual clinics such as Modern Menopause, Felix, The Menopause Practice and Coven Women's Health are filling the gap. Initial assessments cost $100 to $400, and programs can run to thousands a year. Coven, co-founded last year by OB-GYN Michelle Jacobson, charges $99 for a first visit and $299 to $1,399 for programs. One patient told the Globe she has spent more than $5,000 out of pocket.

Sources

Update — 2026-11-05

Initial entry — story first created.