Association Between Male Menopause Severity and Presenteeism: A Cross-sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Andrology
• Psychosomatic Medicine

Background:

• Male menopause, or andropause, is characterized by a decline in testosterone levels and associated symptoms.
• Middle-aged men may experience symptoms impacting their work capacity, a phenomenon known as presenteeism.
• Understanding the link between andropause symptoms and workplace productivity is vital for employee well-being and economic output.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between male menopause symptoms and presenteeism in middle-aged Japanese men.
• To quantify the impact of Aging Male Symptoms (AMS) scale scores on work functioning impairment.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey of 3795 employed men aged 40-59 in Japan.
• Assessment of male menopause symptoms using the Aging Male Symptoms (AMS) scale.
• Measurement of presenteeism via the Work Functioning Impairment Scale and analysis using Poisson regression.

Main Results:

• A significant positive trend was observed between increasing AMS scale scores and the prevalence of presenteeism (P <0.001).
• Men with severe AMS symptoms exhibited an 11.81-fold higher prevalence of presenteeism compared to those without symptoms.
• Each subscale of the AMS scale demonstrated a dose-response relationship with presenteeism.

Conclusions:

• A strong association exists between male menopause symptoms and presenteeism among middle-aged men.
• Interventions targeting psychological and physical symptoms of andropause in the workplace may effectively reduce presenteeism.
• Addressing male menopause symptoms can improve work functioning and productivity in this demographic.