Night-shift work during menopause: associations with menopausal symptom severity and limitations in work functioning.

Authors

Bette Loef, Sandra H van Oostrom, Karin I Proper, Karen Nieuwenhuijsen, Martijn E T Dollé, Linda W M van Kerkhof

Published in

Maturitas. Volume 215. Pages 109183. Nov 04, 2026. Epub Nov 04, 2026.

Abstract

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

PMID:
42998569
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 08 Nov 2026.

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