The impact of menopause on work ability in women with severe menopausal symptoms.
OBJECTIVE
To measure the impact of menopause on work ability in women with severe menopausal symptoms.


METHODS
This cross-sectional study compared the work ability of a sample of otherwise healthy employed Dutch women (n=205) with that of a sample of first-time attendees of a menopause clinic (n=60); both groups were aged 44-60 years. Self-reported questionnaire data assessing work ability (Work Ability Index; WAI) and menopausal symptoms (Greene Climacteric Scale; GCS) were used.


METHODS
Logistic regression analyses were used to examine whether women with severe menopausal symptoms were more likely to have low work ability (defined as a score <37.0 points on the WAI) than were women in the reference group, after adjustment for individual and lifestyle factors.


RESULTS
Symptomatic women had significantly higher total GCS scores (mean 26.7 vs 14.2, t=10.8, P<0.001) and significantly lower WAI scores (median 32.0 vs 40.0, U=2380, P<0.001) than the reference group. They were 8.4 times more likely to report low work ability than their healthy counterparts: 76.7% versus 30.2% (OR 8.4, 95% CI 4.1-17.2).


CONCLUSIONS
Over three-quarters of symptomatic menopausal women report serious problems in dealing with the physical and mental demands of their work (recorded here as low work ability); hence these women might be at risk of prolonged sickness absence from work.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Nij Smellinghe Hospital, Post box 20200, 9200 DA Drachten, The Netherlands. Electronic address: m.geukes@erasmusmc.nl.
Marije
M
Geukes
Van Aalst Arbo Advies, Lange Singel 24, 9243 KJ Bakkeveen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: info@vanaalstarboadvies.nl.
Mariëlle P
MP
van Aalst
Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Centre, Post box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: s.robroek@erasmusmc.nl.
Suzan J W
SJ
Robroek
Division of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Post box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: j.laven@erasmusmc.nl.
Joop S E
JS
Laven
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Nij Smellinghe Hospital, Post box 20200, 9200 DA Drachten, The Netherlands. Electronic address: h.oosterhof@nijsmellinghe.nl.
Henk
H
Oosterhof
D000041:Absenteeism; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014937:Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
Absenteeism; Menopause; Occupational health; Sickness absence; Women; Work