Quality of life in menopausal women at the workplace – a systematic review

Aims

Menopausal women are a large and economically relevant group in the workforce. Yet, their quality of life (QoL) and needs at the workplace have been neglected. Thus, the aim of this systematic review was to provide an overview of QoL of menopausal women at the workplace.

Methods

Systematic literature searches were executed, yielding 1211 references. After abstract screening, 156 articles remained for full-text screening. Finally, 12 articles fulfilled inclusion criteria and were included into this review.

Results

Age, educational level, type of work, working environment (e.g. crowding, confined spaces, noise, workstation design), permanent place of residency, mental factors (e.g. stress level, workload, work pattern), comorbidities, menopausal symptoms, time since menopause and physical activity have repeatedly been shown to affect QoL at the workplace in menopausal women.

Conclusion

Recommendations for employers are provided from these findings. Further rising of awareness of special needs of menopausal working women as well as further systematic research programs are needed.