April 24, 2025

While one in ten women in France suffers from endometriosis, dealing with this illness in the workplace remains a subject that is all too often forgotten in the day-to-day lives of female employees… Yet the impact is high, both for the individual and the organization, and makes women’s health a major issue for companies. Valérie Desplanches, president and co-founder of the Endometriosis Research Foundation, explains why.

The impact of endometriosis on women…

Among women suffering from endometriosis, 65% say the disease has a major impact on their well-being at work. Valérie Desplanches also reveals that “a majority of employees don’t talk about it with anyone around them. Neither to Human Resources representatives nor to the occupational physician, and even less to their manager.” Yet the subject has its place within the company. Firstly, because of the demographic reality it encompasses.

And here, it’s hard to downplay the figures. “The disease affects 10% to 20% of women, 70% of whom experience severe pain, and symptoms are most incapacitating between the ages of 30 and 35, i.e. at the height of professional investment, when careers are starting up or accelerating”, says the president and co-founder of the Endometriosis Research Foundation. So many difficulties experienced in the shadows. “Women come to hide, to conceal their condition for fear of being penalized…deplores Valérie Desplanches. And this self-censorship obviously penalizes them.

… But also global organization!

Faced with the obstacles they encounter, almost a quarter of women with endometriosis have preferred to give up their job or career because of the daily pressure or a hostile environment. So there’s a real issue of loss of talent, but also loss of productivity,” analyses the specialist. And contrary to what you might think, this drop is not the result of absenteeism, but rather of presenteeism!” Over 80% of women affected say they force themselves to come to work despite the pain, knowing that they won’t be able to operate at those times because of pain or fatigue. “Fatigue is one of the main symptoms. Not to mention the anxiety generated by the disease, and the mental burden that comes with it. “As this is a chronic disease that recurs constantly, women are constantly anticipating and organizing their lives around it,” confirms the specialist.

But that’s not all. We also need to take into account those around us, as the impact on the organization and life of households is numerous. Valérie Desplanches notes that 10% of employees are spouses of women suffering from endometriosis. They too need time to attend medical appointments, look after the children, and manage the increased mental workload. If we want to provide better care for women, we need to take into account the whole health value chain (carers, relatives…) and treat illness as an aspect of social life, not just a medical issue.

The power of corporate action

There’s no doubt about it: endometriosis is a real factor of inequality in the world of work. And it makes the company a key player in the day-to-day support of female employees.

Raising awareness

To adapt work to the needs of affected women, we first need to understand what they’re going through. So the first essential step is to make as many people as possible aware of the reality of the disease, including employees, executives and especially managers, so that those around them can properly respond to the expectations of the employees concerned. By setting up awareness and communication campaigns… But also by listening! Today’s younger generations are more concerned than their elders by this issue. As we can see when we work in high schools, it’s the boys who ask the most questions, because they need to understand and feel part of the solution,” says Valérie Desplanches. But it’s going to take time for these young people to take the reins in the corporate world. And it’s this latent state of affairs that needs to be addressed today, without any detours.

Workspace and time-space planning

The good news is that these dialogues can give rise to various key forms of support. “I’m thinking, for example, of redesigning premises to provide better-equipped sanitary facilities, creating safe spaces in which to isolate oneself and rest at certain painful moments, and proposing suitable mutual insurance packages to alleviate the heavy expenses associated with the disease…”, notes Valérie Desplanches. These are just some of the actions that can be put in place to encourage people to speak out. But for the co-founder of the Foundation, it’s above all the organization of working hours that needs to be rethought if women’s physical and mental health is really to be alleviated. “Because what women need above all is flexibility”, she asserts. On the one hand, in the way they telework – in particular, the number of days they can request and the ease with which they can do so – but also in the adaptability of their working hours. These are issues that directly affect corporate culture. “It is therefore crucial to co-construct these policies with employers and employees”, recommends the specialist. And all the more so in the current context.

If we broaden the scope of women’s health issues, we find that 10% of women suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome, between 15% and 40% of women suffer from pelvic congestion, and there is an increase in the number of MAP procedures due to reduced fertility…“. And with the impact of environmental factors, notably endocrine disruptors, it’s a safe bet that the situation will continue to worsen, with increasingly severe forms at younger and younger ages,” concludes Valérie Desplanches.

So how can we ensure that the global performance of tomorrow’s companies does not exclude such a large number of individuals? By inventing, together, today, a world of work adapted to the vital requirements of the men and women who make it up.

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