Menopause and the healthcare workforce: a scoping review and stakeholder consultation

Menopause is a transition experienced by all women that is considered a taboo subject in most workplaces globally. Menopause leads many women in healthcare to reduce their working hours, or to leave work, which means that patients and learners do not have access to their expertise. There is limited research exploring how healthcare staff experience menopause and the impact of the loss of senior women on junior staff. This study aimed to understand how the problem of the menopause at work in healthcare settings is characterised in the literature and to explore the implications of menopause at work. A scoping review was conducted using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, including the 6th optional stage of stakeholder consultation. The searches were run on databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Social Policy and Practice and HMIC via OVID and CINAHL, via EBSCOhost combining terms for health personnel, workplace and menopause. We conducted thorough supplementary searches in addition to the database searches. Seventy-five articles from 13 different countries were included, of which 39 were empirical research. These revealed a vicious cycle: experiencing the menopause at work makes work more stressful and, when work is stressful, the experience of the menopause is exacerbated. Support interventions were widely discussed but there was no evidence of the interventions being tested for effectiveness. There were three main themes of implications for women experiencing menopause: implications for perception of self, implications for relationships at work and implications for work/career. There was minimal discussion about implications for colleagues and patients and none about implications for learners. We have highlighted a small body of empirical research on the topic of the menopause in the healthcare workplace and the implications of this. Further research is required to understand the effectiveness of the interventions being used and to understand the implications for health professions education.