Labor Productivity Of Women During Menopause

Labor Productivity Of Women During Menopause.
Women who go down turbulent hot flashes during menopause may be less productive on the job and have a lower quality of life, a new mug up suggests. The study, by researchers from the drug maker is based on a survey of nearly 3300 US women age-old 40 to 75. Overall, women who reported severe hot flashes and end of day sweats had a dimmer view of their well-being. They also were more likely than women with milder symptoms to explain the problem hindered them at work doctor. The cost of that lost work productivity averaged more than $6500 over a year, the researchers estimated.

On cap of that women with severe hot flashes beat more on doctor visits - averaging almost $1000 in menopause-related appointments. Researcher Jennifer Whiteley and her colleagues reported the results online Feb 11, 2013 in the periodical Menopause tablets. It's not surprising that women with intense hot flashes would visit the doctor more often, or report a bigger results on their health and work productivity, said Dr Margery Gass, a gynecologist and supervision director of the North American Menopause Society.

But she said the new findings put some numbers to the issue. "What's neighbourly about this is that the authors tried to quantify the impact," Gass said, adding that it's always well-proportioned to have hard data on how menopause symptoms affect women's lives. For women themselves, the findings give reassurance that the paraphernalia they perceive in their lives are real. "This validates the experiences they are having".

Another gynecologist who reviewed the swotting pointed out many limitations, however. The research was based on an Internet survey, so the women who responded are a "self-selected" bunch, said Dr Michele Curtis, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Houston. And since it was a one-time contemplate it provides only a snapshot of the women's perceptions at that time. "What if they were having a downhearted day? Or a tolerable day?" she said.

It's also tiring to know for sure that hot flashes were the cause of women's less-positive perceptions of their own health. "This tells us that conscience-stricken hot flashes are a marker for feeling unhappy. But are they the cause?" Still, she commended the researchers for demanding to estimate the impact of hot flashes with the data they had. "It's an absorbing study, and these are important questions".

Like Gass, Curtis said the results also validate women's experiences. "You're not unbalanced for feeling bad". The findings are based on nearly 3300 women. Most said they either had no pomposity flashes and night sweats, or mild symptoms. But almost 500 said they had rational symptoms, while nearly 150 rated them as severe.

One-quarter of employed women with severe symptoms said the puzzle hindered them at work, compared with just 4 percent of women with mild dazzling flashes and 14 percent of those with moderate ones. Curtis pointed out, however, that the percentages are based on poor numbers: just 43 women with severe hot flashes were employed. When it came to day-to-day activities, almost one-third of women with taxing hot flashes felt held back, versus 6 percent with good-natured symptoms and 17 percent with moderate ones.

The good rumour is there are ways to make your hot flashes less frequent or less intense. For severe symptoms the most able treatment is hormone therapy - usually a combination of estrogen and progestin. For now, it's also the only care approved by the US Food and Drug Administration specifically for easing sensual flashes.

But doctors and patients have been wary of hormones ever since a US study a decade ago linked the treatment to increased risks of blood clots, heart attack, stroke and breast cancer. The universal advice now is for women with hot flashes to take hormones at the lowest dose and for the shortest term possible. For women who cannot or do not want to take hormones, there are other options. Gass noted that some antidepressants have been found to worker relieve hot flashes.

Certain blood pressure drugs and anti-seizure medications also are on occasion prescribed. If your menopause symptoms are milder, some lifestyle changes may be enough, including turning down the thermostat at evening or dressing in layers so you can remove some when you feel a hot flash coming on. If you fundamental more relief, though, Gass recommended talking to your doctor about your options hong kong. Curtis said it's also superior to be sure your hot flashes are the result of menopause, since other conditions - most commonly an overactive thyroid gland - can cause the symptoms too.