Effects of Menopausal Hot Flashes on Mental Workload

Abstract

This study examined the differences in psychophysiological responses during mental task performance between women with (Group S) and without (Group A) menopausal hot flashes. Twelve women who reported experiencing daily moderate or severe menopausal hot flashes (Group S) and twelve women who reported having no hot flashes (Group A) participated in a mental arithmetic (Task) and a control (Non-task) experiment that occurred twice during 30 min. Although Group S experienced frequent hot flashes during mental arithmetic task, no significant differences between the two groups emerged for the percentage of correct responses and reaction time, and cardiovascular and thermoregulatory responses. However, the STAI state anxiety score was significantly higher in Group S than in Group A during both rest and mental tasks, and stress-related cortisol secretion showed a tendency to increase in Group S compared with Group A after task. The present study indicates that there were no significant differences in physiological responses and cognitive performance between women with and without menopausal hot flashes during mental arithmetic, but women with menopausal hot flashes might perceive higher psychological stress during rest and mental arithmetic tasks than asymptomatic women.

Vitamin D levels and menopause-related symptoms

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Menopause and work: A narrative literature review about menopause, work and health

“…This has been done recently by Geukes et al, who studied healthy working women, representative of the Dutch female population, and showed that women’s physical and psychological menopausal complaints were associated with lower work ability, which increased the possibility of sickness absence [ 7 ]. The authors concluded that the women had a relatively low level of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) and that these complaints did not negatively impact on their work ability (see also [ 47 ]). More recently however, other researchers reported that VMS were the most frequently reported complaints with a negative effect on work [ 6 ].…”

Cis women's bodies at work: co‐modification and (in)visibility in organization and management studies and menopause at work scholarship

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