This worksheet is written to be portable: most of it applies in any country. Where the wording is Canada-specific (extended health, provincial drug plans, common EAP set-ups), it's marked with a 🇨🇦 Canada note. Swap those for your local equivalents and the rest still works.

1. Prescription drug coverage (MHT / HRT)

The single most common question we hear from People teams is "does our plan even cover hormone therapy?" — and most don't know. These are the questions to put to your provider. Coverage varies enormously by plan, formulary and region, so treat every line as a question, not an assumption.

• Is menopausal hormone therapy (MHT/HRT) covered under our drug plan at all? Under which formulary tier?
• Which formulations are covered: systemic estrogen (tablets, transdermal patches, gels, sprays), progesterone (micronized progesterone vs synthetic progestogens), and combined products?
• Is vaginal / local estrogen (for genitourinary symptoms) covered? It's low-cost but frequently overlooked.
• Is testosterone covered? In many places it's prescribed off-label for menopause and may not be reimbursed — worth knowing.
• Are there prior-authorization hurdles, step-therapy requirements, age cut-offs, or annual maximums that would block or cap these prescriptions?
• Are compounded preparations excluded? (Most plans exclude them — good to confirm so people aren't surprised.)

🇨🇦 Canada note: drug coverage usually sits in your extended health / private group plan, layered on top of any provincial drug program. Ask your broker how the two interact for your team, and whether your plan's formulary is "managed" (which can exclude newer or pricier products). Our plain-language explainer on what's covered in Canada is a useful primer to share.

2. Related paramedical & professional services

Hormone therapy is only part of the picture. The supports that help people stay well and stay at work often live in the paramedical lines of the plan. Check the per-service annual maximums:

• Mental health: psychology / counselling / psychotherapy maximums — perimenopause is a high-risk window for mood and anxiety.
• Pelvic-floor physiotherapy: for bladder and genitourinary symptoms — often covered under physio but capped low.
• Registered dietitian: for bone, heart and metabolic health in midlife.
• Virtual / telehealth visits with a doctor or menopause-trained specialist — is there a covered route to a second opinion?
• Bone-density (DEXA) and cardiometabolic screening — is preventive screening supported or reimbursed?

3. Audit your EAP (it probably does more than people know)

Employee and Family Assistance Programs are the most under-used benefit on most plans. Many already include exactly the support people are quietly looking for — they just don't know it's there. Ask your EAP provider:

• How many counselling sessions are included per issue, per year? Is menopause / midlife an explicitly named topic?
• Is there a 24/7 nurse or health line people can call about symptoms?
• Are there digital programs, webinars or coaching modules on menopause, sleep, stress or hormonal health?
• Does the EAP offer manager-support consultations — so a line manager can get guidance before a difficult conversation?
• What's the actual uptake on these for our team, and what would raise it?

The fix is usually communication, not budget. Drop this line into your next all-staff note or benefits refresher:

"A reminder that our [EAP NAME] is free, confidential and available 24/7 to you and your household — including support for perimenopause and menopause, sleep, mood and stress. Reach it at [PHONE] or [URL]. You don't need to tell anyone here that you've used it."

4. Evaluating a dedicated menopause-care vendor

A growing number of providers now sell menopause-specific care or coaching programs to employers. Some are excellent; some are repackaged content. We don't endorse or rank any vendor — instead, here's the checklist to score one against. A good program should tick most of these:

• Clinician-led. Care is delivered or overseen by menopause-trained doctors or specialists, not coaches alone.
• Evidence-based. Guidance aligns with recognized menopause-society consensus, not proprietary protocols or supplement up-sells.
• Able to prescribe or refer. There's a real route to treatment or to your members' own doctors — not just information.
• Confidential by design. The employer never sees individual health data; reporting is aggregate and anonymized. Ask exactly what data they hold and where.
• Inclusive. Care is framed around symptoms and anatomy, so it works for cisgender women, trans men, non-binary people and trans women on estrogen-based therapy.
• Accessible. Available in the regions, languages and time zones your people actually live in.
• Measurable. They can show outcomes — uptake, symptom improvement, retention — not just a logo on your benefits page.
• Independent of product sales. Revenue doesn't depend on selling supplements or tests to your employees.

Whatever you choose, make sure it complements — not replaces — your existing drug coverage and EAP. The best set-up is usually "fix the plan gaps first, then add specialist care on top."

5. Time off, accommodation & policy

Coverage is only half the job; people also need the time and permission to use it. Confirm that:

• Reasonable paid time off for menopause-related appointments is treated like any other ongoing health condition.
• Menopause-related sick leave doesn't unfairly trip routine absence triggers (see the policy template).
• There's a clear, low-friction route to request reasonable adjustments without a diagnosis.

Our menopause workplace policy template covers the wording for all three, and the line-manager toolkit covers the conversations.

Audit owner: [HR / Benefits lead]  Reviewed with: [Broker / Insurer]  Date: [DATE]  Next plan review: [DATE]

This worksheet is education only — not financial, medical or legal advice, and not a statement of what any plan covers. Confirm everything with your own provider in your own jurisdiction.