Does Night Work Affect Age at Which Menopause Occurs?

Details

• Personal Author:
  Schernhammer E ; Stock D
• Description:
  Purpose of review: To delineate the current state of evidence on the impact of night shift work on age at natural menopause. Recent findings: The only direct evidence is from a single observational study, which indicates that women who work night shifts are at moderately higher risk for earlier menopause and that this risk is more pronounced among younger women. Underlying biological mechanisms have yet to be sufficiently substantiated. A long-held line of inquiry, most strongly propagated by the observed link between night shift work and female breast cancer, is the 'Light at Night' hypothesis, which suggests melatonin-mediated circadian disruption as a potential regulator of reproductive signaling in women. Supporting evidence is found from observations of changes in endogenous melatonin production among night working women or in response to light exposure, and corresponding changes in endogenous ovarian hormone levels and modulated menstrual patterns, among other indications of altered central ovulation-governing processes. Susceptibility to night shift work may be modified by chronotype. Summary: This review summarizes the literature related to night work and ovulatory regulation in humans, prioritizing population-based evidence to provide motivation for the study of circadian disruption and night shift work as a regulator of menopausal timing. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Circadian Rhythm Occupational Health Safety Shift Work Schedule Urogenital System Women
• Keywords:
  Age Factors Author Keywords: Chronotype Circadian Disruption Circadian Rhythms Hormone Activity Menopausal Age Night Shift Work Ovulation Reproductive Effects Shift Work Work Intervals Work Schedules

  More +
• ISSN:
  1752-2978
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  306-312
• Volume:
  26
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059596
• Citation:
  Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes 2019 Dec; 26(6):306-312
• Contact Point Address:
  David Stock, 5790 University Avenue, Rm 219, Halifax, NS, Canada B3H1V7
• Email:
  David.Stock@dal.ca
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Performing Organization:
  Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20100801
• Source Full Name:
  Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity
• End Date:
  20190831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9b139f483ea34ab6ee7cad5465a87e11ad95626ad7f840d34d6464afc4f6562ab0b9fa82093af2c0e87472598fa05d82c9fca2304b1b3a474947555f073b8987
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223763/cdc_223763_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 225.41 KB ]