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Menopausal Status Impact on the Quality of Life in Kazakhstani Healthcare Workers: A Cross-sectional Study

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Abstract

Background

Menopausal quality of life (MenQoL) is a common concern that primary healthcare workers often encounter. Menopause has a significant impact on women’s health, but studies examining its effect on the MenQoL of menopausal healthcare employees have produced conflicting results.

Objective

The aim of this study was to compare the quality of life related to menopausal status (pre-, peri-, or postmenopausal) in healthcare workers from various clinical settings in Kazakhstan.

Design

This was a cross-sectional study.

Participants

In total, 222 menopausal healthcare workers (physicians, nurses/midwives, administrative staff, and cleaners) were enrolled from hospitals affiliated with the University Medical Center (UMC) in Kazakhstan.

Main Measures

The outcome variable was assessed using the Menopausal Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL), which evaluates MenQoL across four domains of menopausal symptoms: physical, psychological, vasomotor, and sexual.

Key Results

The most frequently reported menopausal symptoms were physical ones, such as feeling tired or worn out (70.7%), followed by feeling a lack of energy (65.3%) and dry skin (64.1%). The postmenopause group had the highest mean MenQoL score in the vasomotor domain (mean 3.46 ± 1.84). There was a borderline statistical significance when comparing postmenopause and perimenopause groups in the physical domain. The pairwise comparison of mean sexual scores revealed that postmenopause women had the highest average score (3.3 ± 2.36) compared to both premenopause (mean 2.3 ± 1.82) and perimenopause (mean 2.22 ± 1.58) groups (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Menopausal status has influence on the MenQoL of healthcare workers. The study findings could have important implications for policymakers as they provide insight into the factors influencing the quality of life of menopausal healthcare employees. Creating a more menopause-friendly work environment may not only enhance the well-being of healthcare personnel but also improve their overall job satisfaction and performance.

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Data Availability

The dataset used and analyzed during the current study is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements:

The authors would like to thank all study participants for their contribution.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Nazarbayev University, Kerey-Zhanybek Khans Street 5/1, Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan

    Sanja Terzic MD

  2. Clinical Academic Department of Women’s Health, CF “University Medical Center”, Turan Ave. 32, Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan

    Gauri Bapayeva MD, PhD, Talshyn Ukybassova MD, Karlygash Togyzbayeva MD, PhD & Milan Terzic MD, PhD

  3. Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Nazarbayev University, Kerey-Zhanybek Khans Street 5/1, Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan

    Nazira Kadroldinova MD, Yuliya Semenova MD, PhD, Gulzhanat Aimagambetova MD, PhD, Kuralay Kongrtay MD, Meruyert Abdukassimova MD, Aruzhan Babazhanova MD & Milan Terzic MD, PhD

  4. Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Nazarbayev University, Kabanbay Batyr Avenue, 53, Astana, Kazakhstan

    Antonio Sarria-Santamera MD, PhD & Arnur Gusmanov MD, MPH

  5. Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties (PROMISE), University of Palermo, 90133, Palermo, Italy

    Antonio Simone Laganà MD, PhD & Vito Chiantera MD, PhD

  6. Unit of Gynecologic Oncology, National Cancer Institute - IRCCS - Fondazione “G. Pascale”, 80131, Naples, Italy

    Vito Chiantera MD, PhD

  7. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 300 Halket Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Milan Terzic MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Sanja Terzic MD
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  2. Gauri Bapayeva MD, PhD
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  3. Nazira Kadroldinova MD
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  4. Antonio Sarria-Santamera MD, PhD
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  5. Arnur Gusmanov MD, MPH
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  6. Yuliya Semenova MD, PhD
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  7. Gulzhanat Aimagambetova MD, PhD
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  8. Antonio Simone Laganà MD, PhD
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  9. Vito Chiantera MD, PhD
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  10. Talshyn Ukybassova MD
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  11. Kuralay Kongrtay MD
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  12. Meruyert Abdukassimova MD
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  13. Aruzhan Babazhanova MD
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  14. Karlygash Togyzbayeva MD, PhD
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  15. Milan Terzic MD, PhD
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Contributions

Conceptualization: ST, MT, GB. Methodology: ASS, ST, MT, AG. Formal analysis: AG, ASS, TU, KK, MA. Data collection: KK, NK, MA, TU, GA, KT, AB. Data curation: AG. Writing—original draft preparation: NK, AG. Writing—review and editing: MT, ASS, VC, ASL, GA, KT, YS. Supervision: MT. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuliya Semenova MD, PhD.

Ethics declarations

Ethics Approval

The ethics committee of the UMC approved of the study (protocol #11, Appendix #3 dated December 28, 2020). The study was conducted according to the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed written consent was provided by all study participants.

Consent to Participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Consent for Publication

Not applicable.

Conflict of Interest:

The authors declare that they do not have a conflict of interest.

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Terzic, S., Bapayeva, G., Kadroldinova, N. et al. Menopausal Status Impact on the Quality of Life in Kazakhstani Healthcare Workers: A Cross-sectional Study. J GEN INTERN MED (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-024-08650-9

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