A groundbreaking new comic is set to transform how workplaces understand and support menopause, bringing research and lived experience together in a powerful and accessible format.
Navigating Menopause in the Workplace has been developed by postgraduate researcher Chithramali Rodrigo from the University of Aberdeen as part of her PhD research into supporting women experiencing menopause at work. The project brings together an expert, cross-disciplinary team. The comic is written by Chithramali Rodrigo and Professor Christopher Murray, Chair of Comics Studies and Director of the Comics Studies Creative Research Hub at the University of Dundee. Meanwhile, artwork has been created by comics artists Katy Stone and Phillip Vaughan.
Compelling storyline
The comic follows the story of Melanie as she begins to experience menopause symptoms. It charts her journey from uncertainty and confusion through to diagnosis and, ultimately, to raising awareness in her workplace – leading to better understanding, practical adjustments and more open conversations. It highlights practical workplace measures that can make a meaningful difference, including desk fans, flexible working hours, shorter breaks and changes to uniforms. It also addresses the wider impact of symptoms on wellbeing, productivity and career decisions.
Menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, though it can happen earlier due to premature ovarian insufficiency, cancer treatment or surgery. Common symptoms include hot flushes, sleep disruption, headaches, brain fog, joint pain and low mood. For many women, these symptoms can significantly affect working life.
The research underpinning the comic is rooted in work from the University of Aberdeen’s School of Psychology, with contributions from Linda Engels, Dr Jacqui Hutchison, Professor Louise Phillips and Dr Claire Robertson. Stuart Hall, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Partner at the University of Aberdeen, also contributed alongside Atiyah Kamran, Consultant Gynaecologist and Menopause Specialist at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, NHS Grampian.
The project was funded by Henpicked through its Menopause and Menstruation Friendly Employer Awards, with Deborah Garlick and Sally Leech from Henpicked supporting its development. Thanks to this funding, the comic is available free of charge to everyone.
Engaging and memorable
Despite affecting more than 13 million women in the UK, menopause remains a topic that many find difficult to discuss at work. The comic’s visual storytelling format has been deliberately chosen to make complex medical and emotional experiences more relatable, engaging and memorable.
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 added: “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, Navigating Menopause in the Workplace reflects a shared commitment between researchers, creatives and workplace specialists to turn evidence into action — helping to shape more supportive, inclusive workplaces everywhere.
