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Working women in the United States may lose up to $1.8 billion each year due to menopause, according to a new study.
Menopause is the time that marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years, or twelve months without a menstrual period. It usually occurs when women are in their 40s and 50s, but the average age is 51 in the U.S. Symptoms include irregular periods, hot flashes, mood swings, sleep problems, vaginal and bladder problems, loss of bone density and higher cholesterol levels — some of which come on gradually.
Researchers also found that over 1% of participants reported that their symptoms were so debilitating that they were either laid off or quit their jobs in the preceding six months.
Dr. Juliana Kling — study author and chair of the Women’s Health Internal Medicine division at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona — said that based on collected data, there’s an estimated annual loss of $1.8 billion in working time.
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Dr. Ekta Kapoor — another study author and an endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota — toldThe New York Timesthat many women who deal with debilitating symptoms of menopause also express difficulty talking about menopause with their colleagues.
“The topic of menopause is taboo in general but even more so at the workplace,” she said. “I’ve heard from women that they don’t want to come across as a ‘complainer’ at work or they’ll bring up menopause and people will roll their eyes.”
Kapoor added that the recorded $1.8 billion annual loss is likely an underestimate because the women surveyed had access to health insurance and possible treatments for menopause symptoms, which is not the case for all women in the U.S.
source: people.com
