The Impact of Menopausal Symptoms on Quality of Life, Productivity, and Economic Outcomes

Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of menopausal symptoms and menopausal symptom severity on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), work impairment, healthcare utilization, and costs. Methods: Data from the 2005 United States National Health and Wellness Survey were used, with only women 40–64 years without a history of cancer included in the analyses (N=8,811). Women who reported experiencing menopausal symptoms (n=4,116) were compared with women not experiencing menopausal symptoms (n=4,695) on HRQoL, work impairment, and healthcare utilization using regression modeling (and controlling for demographics and health characteristic differences). Additionally, individual menopausal symptoms were used as predictors of outcomes in a separate set of regression models. Results: The mean age of women in the analysis was 49.8 years (standard deviation,±5.9). Women experiencing menopausal symptoms reported significantly lower levels of HRQoL and significantly higher work impa...