Menopausal symptoms from hot flashes to insomnia are negatively impacting women's careers — and the economy, says new study

Most people are aware that menopause can come with intense symptoms such as hot flashes and insomnia. But a new study from the Mayo Clinic finds it can have a direct impact on women's ability to work — and on the economy.

The study, which was published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings on Wednesday, analyzed data from 4,440 participants between the ages of 45 and 60 who received care at one of four Mayo Clinic sites. The women were given a survey on their symptoms during menopause, as well as on how those symptoms impacted their work.

The researchers discovered that 597 women, or 13.4%, said they had experienced at least one bad outcome at work — meaning they quit, retired, were fired or missed hours or days of work — due to symptoms of menopause. The researchers also found that the odds of having a bad outcome at work increased the more severe a woman's symptoms were.

As a result, the researchers estimated that there is an annual loss of $1.8 billion in the U.S. due to menopausal symptoms. "This large cross-sectional study identified a major negative impact of menopause symptoms on work outcomes and the need to improve medical treatment for these women and make the workplace environment more supportive," the researchers wrote in the conclusion.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Stephanie Faubion, who is the director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Women’s Health and director of the North American Menopause Society, tells Yahoo Life that the calculations on economic impact didn't even count things like missed hours of work or not taking a promotion due to menopause. "That is probably grossly underestimating the problem," she says.

"We're losing our most talented, experienced workers who could be on the leadership pipeline," Faubion says. "It could be one of the reasons that we have a leaky leadership pipeline and fewer women in the C suite — they're opting out at the time when they could be in the pipeline."

This, she says, goes hand in hand with a lack of resources available for women going through menopause.

Faubion's study isn't the first to look at the economic impact of a lack of support for menopausal women in the workplace. A 2013 study of nearly 9,000 women found that those who had menopausal symptoms reported "significantly higher" issues at work, along with a greater risk of depression and anxiety than those who didn't have symptoms.

Research conducted by the U.K. government also concluded that menopause can lead to reduced engagement at work, more sick days and a greater desire to stop working altogether.

'Why is anybody surprised that this has a billion-dollar impact?'

Women's health experts aren't shocked by the latest findings.

"There have been multiple studies, mostly from the U.K., which have shown this or worse," Dr. Lauren Streicher, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and author of Hot Flash Hell, tells Yahoo Life. "Why is anybody surprised that this has a billion-dollar impact on the corporate level and below? Insomnia, hot flashes ... people are not able to function. As a result of this, they're dropping out of the workplace, making mistakes, and they're really struggling."

Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine, agrees. "Many menopausal women are up at night with hot flashes and night sweats, and they get broken sleep," she tells Yahoo Life. "And then, of course, they are putting up with hot flashes during the day."

It's a lot to deal with. "Menopausal symptoms also reduce quality of life," Dr. Lauren Baker, an ob-gyn at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Yahoo Life.

'Universal suffering should not be tolerated or normalized'

Experts say the findings underscore the importance of treatment options such as hormone therapy, which can help reduce or alleviate menopausal symptoms. "Hormonal therapy is quite safe for most women and is quite effective," Minkin says. "There is a new medication that will be coming out shortly that provides good relief for hot flashes without estrogen. And there are some herbal products that can be helpful."

Hormone therapy is typically seen as the best treatment for lowering the risk of hot flashes and night sweats due to menopause, along with vaginal dryness and bone loss, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — but it has a controversial past. Preliminary results were published in 2003 from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trial that linked hormone therapy — a combination of estrogen and progestin — with a greater risk of heart disease, stroke, blood clots, dementia and breast cancer. The study was halted early because of this.

However, researchers in 2013 found that the original study had looked at women 65 and older who already had a greater risk of conditions such as heart disease, skewing the data. "It has been argued that in the 10 years since WHI, many women have been denied HT [hormone therapy], including those with severe symptoms, and that this has significantly disadvantaged a generation of women," the 2013 study's authors wrote.

Dr. Nina Ali, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, tells Yahoo Life: "FDA-approved hormone therapy options are available, and for most women, the benefits of hormone therapy far outweigh risks in the early years after menses cease. For women with contraindications to hormone therapy, there are many effective options to address symptoms based on that individual's particular needs."

Women have generally gotten the message that they just need to suffer through menopause, Streicher says, but they have options — they just may not be aware of them. "You want to be going through menopause with a provider: a doctor, PA, nurse practitioner or nurse midwife with experience and that you feel comfortable talking with," Minkin says.

As Baker puts it: "While menopause is a universal experience for women, universal suffering should not be tolerated or normalized. Safe and effective treatment options exist to help women survive and thrive during menopause and beyond. It’s time to bring attention to menopause so women get the information they need and the care and support they deserve."

Support during menopause goes beyond individual treatment, though. Experts argue that businesses also need to do more to support women employees going through menopause. A growing number of companies in Europe are offering menopause leave for employees to try to combat this issue and prevent them from exiting the workforce — and Streicher says American companies should take note.

"We have to stop ignoring this and talk solutions," she says.

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