Division of Psychiatry and Applied Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Maturitas. 2013 Oct;76(2):155-9. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2013.07.005. Epub 2013 Aug 22.
This study explored women's experiences of working through menopausal transition in the UK. It aimed to identify the perceived effects of menopausal symptoms on working life, to outline the perceived effects of work on menopausal symptoms, and to provide recommendations for women, healthcare practitioners and employers.
An electronic questionnaire was distributed to women aged 45-55 in professional, managerial and administrative (non-manual) occupations in 10 organisations. Items included: age, age and gender of line manager, educational level, job satisfaction; menopausal status; symptoms that were problematic for work; hot flushes; working conditions; work performance, disclosure to line managers; individual coping strategies; and, effective workplace adjustments and employer support.
The final sample comprised 896 women. Menopausal transition caused difficulties for some women at work. The most problematic symptoms were: poor concentration, tiredness, poor memory, feeling low/depressed and lowered confidence. Hot flushes were particularly difficult. Some women felt work performance had been negatively affected. The majority of women were unwilling to disclose menopause-related health problems to line managers, most of whom were men or younger than them. Individual coping strategies were described. Four major areas for organisational-level support emerged: (i) greater awareness among managers about menopause as a possible occupational health issue, (ii) flexible working hours, (iii) access to information and sources of support at work, and (iv) attention to workplace temperature and ventilation.
Employers and healthcare practitioners should be aware that menopausal transition causes difficulty for some women at work, and that much can be done to support them.
本研究探讨了英国女性在更年期过渡期间的工作经历。旨在确定更年期症状对工作生活的感知影响，概述工作对更年期症状的感知影响，并为女性、医疗保健从业者和雇主提供建议。
向 10 家组织中从事专业、管理和行政（非体力）职业的 45-55 岁女性发放电子问卷。项目包括：年龄、直线经理的年龄和性别、教育程度、工作满意度；更年期状况；对工作有问题的症状；热潮红；工作条件；工作表现、向直线经理披露；个人应对策略；以及有效的工作场所调整和雇主支持。
最终样本包括 896 名女性。更年期过渡给一些女性的工作带来了困难。最成问题的症状是：注意力不集中、疲倦、记忆力差、情绪低落/抑郁和自信心下降。热潮红尤其困难。一些女性感到工作表现受到负面影响。大多数女性不愿意向直线经理披露与更年期相关的健康问题，他们中的大多数是男性或比她们年轻。描述了个人应对策略。组织层面支持出现了四个主要领域：（i）经理对更年期作为一种可能的职业健康问题的认识提高，（ii）灵活的工作时间，（iii）在工作中获取信息和支持资源的途径，以及（iv）关注工作场所的温度和通风。
雇主和医疗保健从业者应该意识到更年期过渡会给一些女性的工作带来困难，并且可以采取很多措施来支持她们。
