Effects of Menopausal Symptoms on Work Life and Organizational Environment

Background: Every working woman has the right to continue to live as a healthy individual. The working environment has important effects on the general health status and reproductive health of women. If menopause period of women is not taken into consideration and if appropriate arrangements are not made at workplaces, their work performance and productivity decrease. It is important to have detailed knowledge about factors creating risk for health in order to develop effective policies and programs directed towards preventing them. Objective: This study was performed to determine the perceived effects of menopause on work life and attitudes of an institution towards menopausal women. Methods: The study population included 419 women aged 45-55 years and working at a university. Out of 419 women, 291 could be contacted. Data were collected with a questionnaire composed of questions about descriptive characteristics, effects of menopause on work life, and support from and attitudes of the institution about menopause. Data collected to reveal menopausal women’s experiences at work were analyzed with statistical methods frequency, percentages, and mean. Results: The mean age at which menopause started was 47 years and 89.7% of the women experienced menopausal complaints. Conclusion: Physical conditions at work and stressors were found to increase menopausal complaints and had a negative effect on work performance.