Night-shift work during menopause: associations with menopausal symptom severity and limitations in work functioning
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 9, 2026
A Method to Study the Impact of Chemically-induced Ovarian Failure on Exercise Capacity and Cardiac Adaptation in Mice
Published on: April 7, 2014
Bette Loef1, Sandra H van Oostrom1, Karin I Proper2
1Department of Behavior and Health, Center for Prevention, Lifestyle and Health, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3721 MA, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
Objectives:
To examine associations of night-shift work with menopausal symptom severity and limitations in work functioning due to menopausal symptoms. Furthermore, the association between menopausal symptom severity and quitting night-shift work was examined to explore a potential "healthy shift worker" effect.
Study Design:
Data from 13,895 menopausal women from the Dutch Lifelines cohort were used. In 2021 and 2024, participants completed a questionnaire on night-shift work, menopausal symptom severity, menopause-related limitations in work functioning, and relevant covariates. In total, 4827 women had measurements available from both 2021 and 2024, while 9068 had measurements from only one year.
Methods:
Repeated-measures models were used to analyze associations of current night-shift work (vs. day work) with menopausal symptom severity (measured as score on the Greene Climacteric Scale [GCS]) and limitations in work functioning across the 2021 and 2024 measurements. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between symptom severity and quitting night-shift work between 2021 and 2024.
Results:
Night-shift workers reported lower overall menopausal symptom severity than day workers (B = -0.71, 95% CI -1.20, -0.22), as well as lower scores in the psychological, somatic, and sexual domains, while scores in the vasomotor domain were similar. No differences were found in limitations in work functioning due to menopausal symptoms (OR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.79, 1.05). Notably, night-shift workers with a high symptom score (defined as a GCS score ≥ 18, i.e. upper tertile) had higher odds of quitting night-shift work (OR = 1.98, 95% CI 1.03, 3.84), suggesting a selection effect.
Conclusions:
Current night-shift work was not associated with higher menopausal symptom severity or greater limitations in work functioning due to these symptoms. As a high menopausal symptom score was associated with quitting night-shift work, these findings are consistent with a "healthy shift worker" effect, warranting further research using a more comprehensive assessment of night-shift work exposure to investigate potential selection mechanisms. Given the impact of menopausal symptoms on work functioning, adequate organizational support for menopausal women, whether engaged in night-shift work or not, remains important.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Menopause
01:24Disorders of the Female Reproductive System
01:22Hormonal Regulation of the Menstrual Cycle
At puberty, GnRH begins a pulsatile release pattern, which triggers the anterior pituitary gland to secrete follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). The frequency and amplitude of GnRH pulses vary across the menstrual cycle, with faster pulses favoring LH release and slower pulses favoring FSH release.
01:13Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
01:29Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
01:15Chronopharmacokinetics: Circadian Rhythms and Influence on Drug Response
The time of drug administration is an important factor to consider, as it can influence the toxic dose of a drug. For example, a study conducted by Prins et al. in 1997 examined the effects of the timing of...