The hidden productivity toll of perimenopause: symptom-driven work impairment during women’s prime working years

Perimenopausal women, often in the prime of their careers, make up a significant proportion of the workforce. Previous studies have revealed the significant symptoms burden associated with perimenopause, yet its workplace and economic consequences remain poorly understood. We examined work impairment by symptom severity and across reproductive stages in a cross-sectional survey of U.S. women aged 35-59 (n=945), using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire and Menopause Rating Scale. We then estimated associated productivity losses using a human capital approach.

Perimenopausal women were equally likely to remain in the labour force as premenopausal women (76.6% vs. 78.0%) but reported substantially higher work impairment (22.5% vs. 12.7%). Work impairment rose from 3.4% among women with minimal symptoms to 33.4% among those with severe symptoms and was driven predominantly by presenteeism rather than absenteeism. Somatic and psychological symptoms showed the strongest associations with work impairment, whereas urogenital symptoms were not significantly associated. The observed work impairment translated into an estimated annual productivity loss of approximately $6,061 per woman in perimenopause and a societal burden of $56.7 billion in the United States. These findings suggest that perimenopause is a substantial but under-recognised workplace health challenge, requiring better recognition and tailored, symptom-matched, workforce support.