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Association of menopausal symptoms on work performance in midlife Latin American women

2026 , Konstantinos Tserotas , Juan E. Blümel , Peter Chedraui , María S. Vallejo , Mónica Ñañez , Eliana Ojeda , Claudia Rey , Ana L. Valadares , Doris Rodríguez-Vidal , Marcio A. Rodrigues , Javier Saavedra , Carlos Salinas , Lida Sosa , Acuña Margot San-Martín , Marcela S. Aguirre , Eugenio Arteaga , Félix Ayala , Ascanio Bencosme , Calle Miñaca, Andrés , Lucia Costa-Paiva , Maribel Dextre , Karen Díaz , Alejandra Elizalde-Cremonte , Santiago Elizalde-Cremonte , Carlos Escalante , María T. Espinoza , Ircania García , Gustavo Gómez-Tabares , Hugo Gutiérrez-Crespo , Marcela López , Juan P. Matzumura-Kasano , Paolo Meza , Álvaro Monterrosa-Castro

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between the severity of menopausal symptoms and work-related outcomes and performance. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 3,523 women aged 40-60 from 30 health care centres across 12 Latin American countries. The severity of menopausal symptoms was assessed with the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). Work-related outcomes were surveyed, including absenteeism, medical visits, perceived reduced work performance, impact of menopause on work performance, and job loss. Comparisons employed suitable tests based on data distribution, and logistic regression was used to assess associations, adjusting for covariates such as menopausal symptoms, comorbidities, age, and education. RESULTS: Women with severe menopausal symptoms (total MRS score ≥14 points) were significantly older (51.1 ± 5.1 vs 49.7 ± 5.6y), had a higher body mass index (27.4 ± 4.8 vs 26.7 ± 4.6 kg/m 2 ), were postmenopausal in a higher proportion (69.9% vs 52.2%), had more comorbidities (42.8% vs 27.6%), higher smoking prevalence, and lower educational attainment. In addition, these women significantly reported more medical leaves (42.4% vs 29.5%), more medical visits (mean: 3.9 vs 2.5 visits), and a more significant perceived reduction of work performance (82.1% vs 56.7%). They also were more likely to believe that menopause significantly reduced their work capacity (67.0% vs 24.0%), had a higher prevalence of job dismissals (6.9% vs 2.0%), and more voluntary resignations or early retirements (8.1% vs 4.7%). Binary logistic regression determined that severe menopausal symptoms, subsequently adjusted for covariates, were primarily associated with more work absenteeism (aOR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.41-1.90), more medical visits (aOR: 2.45; 95% CI: 1.97-3.05), decreased work performance (aOR: 3.13; CI 95%: 2.65-3.69), the perception of menopause negatively impacting their work performance (aOR: 5.84; 95% CI: 5.01-6.80), more job dismissals (aOR: 3.23; 95% CI: 2.21-4.72), and more voluntary resignations or early retirements (aOR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.08-1.93). CONCLUSION: In this large sample of midlife Latin American women, severe menopausal symptoms were associated with reduced work capacity and adverse work-related outcomes. Copyright © 2025 by The Menopause Society.

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Physical activity as an alternative or adjunct to menopausal hormone therapy for symptom management in women with primary ovarian insufficiency

2026 , Félix Ayala , Juan E. Blümel , María S. Vallejo , Peter Chedraui , Hugo Gutiérrez-Crespo , Marcela López , Juan Matzumura-Kasana , Paolo Meza , Álvaro Monterrosa-Castro , Mónica Ñañez , Eliana Ojeda , Claudia Rey , Ana Lucia Ribeiro Valadares , Doris Rodríguez-Vidal , Marcio A.H. Rodrigues , Javier Saavedra , Carlos Salinas , Lida Sosa , Konstantinos Tserotas , Margot Acuña-San Martín , Marcela S. Aguirre , Eugenio Arteaga , Ascanio Bencosme , Calle Miñaca, Andrés , Lucia Costa-Paiva , Maribel Dextre , Karen Díaz , Alejandra Elizalde-Cremonte , Santiago Elizalde-Cremonte , Carlos Escalante , María T. Espinoza , Ircania García , Gustavo Gómez-Tabares

Background: Physical activity alleviates menopausal symptoms in women whose menopause occurs after the age of 45; however, its effect in primary ovarian insufficiency, which occurs before the age of 40, remains unknown. Objective: To examine the association between physical activity, menopausal symptoms, and the use of menopausal hormone therapy in women with primary ovarian insufficiency. Methods: We analysed data from 4708 participants from two studies conducted in 12 Latin American countries. After applying eligibility criteria, 564 women with primary ovarian insufficiency (351 idiopathic and 213 surgical) were included. Menopausal symptoms were assessed using a validated scale, and severe symptoms were defined according to established cut-offs. Physical activity was classified according to international recommendations for moderate-intensity activity. Logistic regression models were adjusted for sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle variables. Results: The prevalence of severe menopausal symptoms was 39.2%, with no significant difference between idiopathic and surgical primary ovarian insufficiency. Women with severe symptoms were less likely to meet recommended levels of physical activity or to be current users of menopausal hormone therapy. In adjusted models, regular physical activity (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.45–0.94) and current use of menopausal hormone therapy (OR 0.27; 0.17–0.42) were associated with a lower likelihood of severe symptoms, whereas obesity and use of psychotropic medication were associated with a higher likelihood. Conclusions: Women with primary ovarian insufficiency who engage in regular physical activity or currently use menopausal hormone therapy report less severe menopausal symptoms. Regular exercise may be an important non-hormonal option for women who cannot or prefer not to use hormone therapy. © 2026 Elsevier B.V.