Treatment-Seeking Behaviors Among Japanese Working Women With Menopausal Symptoms

Menopausal symptoms affect work performance and the occurrence of presenteeism and absenteeism. However, how well these women cope with menopausal symptoms and whether they receive appropriate treatment remains unclear. In this study, we examined Japanese working women with respect to menopausal symptoms, whether they used medical facilities and which departments they visited, and their satisfaction with the treatment they received.

An online survey was conducted in Japan. A total of 1031 working women with menopausal symptoms, aged between 40 and 59 years, were recruited. We used an original questionnaire that included items on the participants' demographic characteristics, coping behaviors for menopausal symptoms, the clinical department they visited, and their satisfaction. Menopausal symptoms were assessed using the Menopausal Rating Scale.

The proportion of women with moderate-to-severe menopausal symptoms was 58.4%; 46.8% had somatic symptoms, 61.0% had psychological symptoms, and 28.4% had urogenital symptoms. The proportion of women with moderate-to-severe hot flashes was 16.5%. Among the study population, 45.5% could not cope with their menopausal symptoms. Among women who were coping well with menopausal symptoms, 44.1% visited medical facilities, and 63.6% visited a gynecologist. The respondents' satisfaction rate with their gynecologist was 68.8%.

Among working women with menopausal symptoms, more than 50% had moderate or severe symptoms, and ~50% were coping well with menopausal symptoms. Many working women were likely to visit gynecologists. These results highlight the importance of supporting middle-aged women.