Providing leave for menopause and other reproductive issues will not stop employers hiring women, a federal parliamentary inquiry has been told.
Unions say workers are already taking time off but just do so unpaid.
They also want men entitled to the same provisions, for issues such as fertility treatment and prostate screening.
Unions are pushing for 10 days of paid leave for women and men, a right granted to workers in the Queensland public service earlier this year.
Speaking at a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, Health Services Union senior national assistant secretary Kate Marshall said the health sector was chronically understaffed and surveys suggested people were already taking time off due to menopause and perimenopause.
"People are taking the time off currently, but it's just unpaid," Ms Marshall said.
"And the transparency is not there as to why they're taking the time off, because there is that embarrassment factor."
A survey of HSU NSW members found 30 per cent needed time off for reproductive health reasons in the past 12 months, and 50 per cent would have used reproductive health leave or flexible work if it was available.
During a hearing last month, Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes said menopause leave might not be needed given the other types already in place, and could leave employers reluctant to hire or promote women.
But Ms Marshall said that was one of the reasons unions were pushing for broader leave provisions that was also available to men for fertility treatment, prostate screening and recovering from a vasectomy.
Australian Council of Trade Unions president Michele O’Neil said the impact of menopause was hidden as "the taboo nature of the subject often means there is a culture of silence".
"As a result, women are retiring far earlier than they might if the workplace offered better support," she said.
The parliamentary hearing was set up to investigate the economic, physical, mental and financial impact of a phase of life experienced by half the population.
Menopause hits between the ages of 45 and 60 and symptoms include tiredness, a racing heart, night sweats, feeling faint, sleeping issues, mood swings and brain fog.
Perimenopause - which precedes it - can last for up to 10 years and begin in women aged in their 30s.
