TY - JOUR
T1 - Association of menopausal symptoms on work performance in midlife Latin American women
AU - Tserotas, Konstantinos
AU - Blümel, Juan E.
AU - Chedraui, Peter
AU - Vallejo, María S.
AU - Ñañez, Mónica
AU - Ojeda, Eliana
AU - Rey, Claudia
AU - Valadares, Ana L.
AU - Rodríguez-Vidal, Doris
AU - Rodrigues, Marcio A.
AU - Saavedra, Javier
AU - Salinas, Carlos
AU - Sosa, Lida
AU - San-Martín, Acuña Margot
AU - Aguirre, Marcela S.
AU - Arteaga, Eugenio
AU - Ayala, Félix
AU - Bencosme, Ascanio
AU - Calle, Andrés
AU - Costa-Paiva, Lucia
AU - Dextre, Maribel
AU - Díaz, Karen
AU - Elizalde-Cremonte, Alejandra
AU - Elizalde-Cremonte, Santiago
AU - Escalante, Carlos
AU - Espinoza, María T.
AU - García, Ircania
AU - Gómez-Tabares, Gustavo
AU - Gutiérrez-Crespo, Hugo
AU - López, Marcela
AU - Matzumura-Kasano, Juan P.
AU - Meza, Paolo
AU - Monterrosa-Castro, Álvaro
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2025 by The Menopause Society.
PY - 2026/3/1
Y1 - 2026/3/1
N2 - OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between the severity of menopausal symptoms and work-related outcomes and performance. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 3,523 women aged 40-60 from 30 health care centres across 12 Latin American countries. The severity of menopausal symptoms was assessed with the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). Work-related outcomes were surveyed, including absenteeism, medical visits, perceived reduced work performance, impact of menopause on work performance, and job loss. Comparisons employed suitable tests based on data distribution, and logistic regression was used to assess associations, adjusting for covariates such as menopausal symptoms, comorbidities, age, and education. RESULTS: Women with severe menopausal symptoms (total MRS score ≥14 points) were significantly older (51.1 ± 5.1 vs 49.7 ± 5.6y), had a higher body mass index (27.4 ± 4.8 vs 26.7 ± 4.6 kg/m 2 ), were postmenopausal in a higher proportion (69.9% vs 52.2%), had more comorbidities (42.8% vs 27.6%), higher smoking prevalence, and lower educational attainment. In addition, these women significantly reported more medical leaves (42.4% vs 29.5%), more medical visits (mean: 3.9 vs 2.5 visits), and a more significant perceived reduction of work performance (82.1% vs 56.7%). They also were more likely to believe that menopause significantly reduced their work capacity (67.0% vs 24.0%), had a higher prevalence of job dismissals (6.9% vs 2.0%), and more voluntary resignations or early retirements (8.1% vs 4.7%). Binary logistic regression determined that severe menopausal symptoms, subsequently adjusted for covariates, were primarily associated with more work absenteeism (aOR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.41-1.90), more medical visits (aOR: 2.45; 95% CI: 1.97-3.05), decreased work performance (aOR: 3.13; CI 95%: 2.65-3.69), the perception of menopause negatively impacting their work performance (aOR: 5.84; 95% CI: 5.01-6.80), more job dismissals (aOR: 3.23; 95% CI: 2.21-4.72), and more voluntary resignations or early retirements (aOR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.08-1.93). CONCLUSION: In this large sample of midlife Latin American women, severe menopausal symptoms were associated with reduced work capacity and adverse work-related outcomes.
AB - OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between the severity of menopausal symptoms and work-related outcomes and performance. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 3,523 women aged 40-60 from 30 health care centres across 12 Latin American countries. The severity of menopausal symptoms was assessed with the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). Work-related outcomes were surveyed, including absenteeism, medical visits, perceived reduced work performance, impact of menopause on work performance, and job loss. Comparisons employed suitable tests based on data distribution, and logistic regression was used to assess associations, adjusting for covariates such as menopausal symptoms, comorbidities, age, and education. RESULTS: Women with severe menopausal symptoms (total MRS score ≥14 points) were significantly older (51.1 ± 5.1 vs 49.7 ± 5.6y), had a higher body mass index (27.4 ± 4.8 vs 26.7 ± 4.6 kg/m 2 ), were postmenopausal in a higher proportion (69.9% vs 52.2%), had more comorbidities (42.8% vs 27.6%), higher smoking prevalence, and lower educational attainment. In addition, these women significantly reported more medical leaves (42.4% vs 29.5%), more medical visits (mean: 3.9 vs 2.5 visits), and a more significant perceived reduction of work performance (82.1% vs 56.7%). They also were more likely to believe that menopause significantly reduced their work capacity (67.0% vs 24.0%), had a higher prevalence of job dismissals (6.9% vs 2.0%), and more voluntary resignations or early retirements (8.1% vs 4.7%). Binary logistic regression determined that severe menopausal symptoms, subsequently adjusted for covariates, were primarily associated with more work absenteeism (aOR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.41-1.90), more medical visits (aOR: 2.45; 95% CI: 1.97-3.05), decreased work performance (aOR: 3.13; CI 95%: 2.65-3.69), the perception of menopause negatively impacting their work performance (aOR: 5.84; 95% CI: 5.01-6.80), more job dismissals (aOR: 3.23; 95% CI: 2.21-4.72), and more voluntary resignations or early retirements (aOR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.08-1.93). CONCLUSION: In this large sample of midlife Latin American women, severe menopausal symptoms were associated with reduced work capacity and adverse work-related outcomes.
KW - Menopausal symptoms
KW - Menopause
KW - Menopause Rating Scale
KW - Performance
KW - Work place
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105030740906
U2 - 10.1097/GME.0000000000002645
DO - 10.1097/GME.0000000000002645
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 41056547
AN - SCOPUS:105030740906
SN - 1072-3714
VL - 33
SP - 333
EP - 339
JO - Menopause
JF - Menopause
IS - 3
ER -