Occupational quality of life during the menopause transition: a cross-sectional study of women faculty and staff at three universities in the United States

Objectives: In the absence of menopause-friendly workplaces, the menopause transition may negatively impact women’s occupational quality of life (OQoL). There is little research on women’s experiences of menopause in university workplaces in the United States. Methods: From January to May 2025, 391 women faculty and staff aged 40-55 at three universities completed a cross-sectional self-report survey. Using multivariable linear regressions controlling for university clustering and sociodemographics, we tested if self-reported menopause stage was associated with the Utian Quality of Life sub-scale for OQoL, and, among women in perimenopause or postmenopause, we tested if the presence of 12 symptoms (eg, hot flashes, irritability, exhaustion, pain) occurring at work were associated with OQoL and an item measuring how much “perimenopause or menopause impacted productivity” at work (0 = no effect to 10 = completely prevented activities ). Results: Of 263 women in perimenopause or postmenopause, 95% had at least one recent symptom at work, most commonly physical/mental exhaustion (68%) and feeling tired at work due to sleep problems (67%). About 90% reported that perimenopause or menopause impacted productivity, with 13% having substantial disruptions (≥7). Menopause stage was not associated with OQoL. Among women in perimenopause or postmenopause, all else held constant, a greater number of symptoms and joint/muscle pain were associated with lower OQoL, and 9 of 12 symptoms and a greater number of symptoms were associated with menopause-related disruptions to workplace productivity. Conclusions: Workplace interventions may be needed to reduce the interference of symptoms with OQoL during the menopause transition.