University comic brings menopause at work to life 

A research-led comic developed by UK academics aims to help workplaces better understand and support employees experiencing menopause, using visual storytelling to translate complex health and workplace issues into a more accessible format. 

Navigating Menopause in the Workplace has been created by postgraduate researcher Chithramali Rodrigo from the University of Aberdeen as part of her PhD research exploring how women can be better supported at work during menopause. The project brings together researchers, workplace specialists and comic artists to turn academic research and lived experience into practical workplace learning. 

The comic follows the story of Melanie, an employee who begins to experience menopause symptoms and initially struggles to understand their impact on her work and wellbeing. As the story develops, she moves from uncertainty and confusion through to diagnosis and eventually becomes an advocate for greater awareness within her workplace. 

Through Melanie’s journey, the comic highlights the practical adjustments that can help employees manage symptoms at work, including desk fans, flexible working hours, shorter breaks and changes to uniforms. It also explores how symptoms, such as sleep disruption, hot flushes, brain fog and low mood, can affect productivity, confidence and career decisions if support is not in place. 

Menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, although it can happen earlier due to premature ovarian insufficiency, cancer treatment or surgery. In the UK, more than 13 million women are currently experiencing menopause or perimenopause, meaning the issue increasingly intersects with workplace wellbeing, workforce participation and retention. 

The research underpinning the comic comes from the University of Aberdeen’s School of Psychology, with contributions from Linda Engels, Dr Jacqui Hutchison, Professor Louise Phillips and Dr Claire Robertson. The project also involved Stuart Hall, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Partner at the University of Aberdeen, and Atiyah Kamran, Consultant Gynaecologist and Menopause Specialist at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, NHS Grampian. 

Rodrigo worked with Professor Christopher Murray, Chair of Comics Studies and Director of the Comics Studies Creative Research Hub at the University of Dundee, to develop the script, while the artwork was produced by comics artists Katy Stone and Phillip Vaughan. 

The project was funded by Henpicked through its Menopause and Menstruation Friendly Employer Awards programme, allowing the comic to be made freely available as a resource for employees, managers and organisations. 

Chithramali Rodrigo said: “My PhD involves developing a toolkit to support women experiencing menopause at work. As part of this, I interviewed employed women going through menopause. They reported that both awareness of menopause and support measures to overcome its impact on work required significant improvements. They wished there was better awareness about menopause amongst all staff, including their line managers and colleagues. I thought a comic would serve this purpose very well. 

“The main message of our comic is to convey the impact of menopause on work, how to find solutions and support those who are impacted by it. There are already health education materials widely available on menopause. However, I wanted to use a more creative, accessible and user-friendly health education material in my toolkit. 

“The comic’s target audience includes employed women experiencing menopause, their managers and colleagues at a workplace. We hope that by reading this comic the women experiencing menopause will gain awareness about the sources of support available to them and how and when to seek support. 

“We hope managers and colleagues will learn about the impact menopause can have and how they can support someone through it. We hope the awareness will motivate them to become partners in creating a more inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.” 

Professor Christopher Murray said the visual format can help communicate complex health experiences more effectively than traditional educational materials. 

“The power of the comics medium is the combination of word and image. Comics have a universal appeal, but they’re often misunderstood in the Anglo-American context as just for children and limited to genres like humour or superheroes. In reality, comics are a sophisticated medium that can layer nuance and complexity into storytelling, making them particularly effective for capturing lived experience. 

“Readers absorb this almost intuitively – comics pose questions, involve a degree of problem-solving, and inspire interaction and discussion. This is one reason why autobiographical and healthcare comics have been so successful and are so powerful and appropriate for a subject like menopause.” 

Deborah Garlick from Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace said: “For over a decade, we’ve been on a mission to raise awareness of menopause and make sure those who need support can access it at work. We know people absorb information in different ways and bringing lived experience and research together in a visual format like this makes the learning more immediate, relatable and memorable. We hope it helps build empathy, spark open conversations and support real, lasting change in workplaces.” 

Published by UniVerse Comics and Henpicked, the project reflects a growing effort across UK organisations to translate research on women’s health into practical workplace action, as employers increasingly recognise menopause as a key workplace wellbeing and inclusion issue. 

The comic is available free of charge through Henpicked’s Menopause in the Workplace platform.