title: Direct and indirect costs of women diagnosed with menopause symptoms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To quantify employee burden of those diagnosed with menopause symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  This regression-based study analyzed 2001-to-2010 medical, pharmacy, sick leave, disability, workers' compensation, and productivity data of large US employers. A cohort of employed women with diagnosed menopause symptoms (DMS), aged more than 40 years, were identified using medical claims International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes 627.xx. Control employees were propensity matched on age, employer, plan enrollment length, and enrollment end date.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 17,322 in each cohort. Employees with DMS had significantly higher medical ($4315 vs $2972, P < 0.001), pharmacy ($1366 vs $908, P < 0.001), sick leave costs ($647 vs $599, P < 0.001), and sick leave days (3.57 vs 3.30, P < 0.001). Employees with DMS had 12.2% (P = 0.007) lower hourly productivity and 10.9% (P = 0.014) lower annual productivity than controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although all women experience menopause, women with DMS have significantly higher utilization and productivity burdens.
authors.affiliation: HCMS Group LLC, Cheyenne, WY 82001, USA. nathan_kleinman@hcmsgroup.com
authors.forename: Nathan L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Kleinman
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Rohrbacker
authors.forename: Andrew G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Bushmakin
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Whiteley
authors.forename: Wendy D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.forename: Sonali N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Shah
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D016208:Databases, Factual; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000191:economics; D014481:United States