Changes in physical symptoms during the menopause transition

Abstract

This article analyzes physical symptoms experienced by mid-age Australian women in different stages of the menopause transition. A total of 8,623 women, aged 45 to 50 years in 1996, who participated the mid-age cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, completed Survey 1 in 1996 and Survey 2 in 1998. Women were assigned to 1 of 6 menopause groups according to their menopausal status at Surveys 1 and 2, and compared on symptoms experienced at Surveys 1 and 2, adjusted for lifestyle, behavioral and demographic factors. At Survey 1, the most commonly reported symptoms were headaches, back pain, stiff joints, tiredness, and difficulty sleeping. Perimenopausal women were more likely than premenopausal or postmenopausal women to report these symptoms. Hot flushes and night sweats were more common among postmenopausal women. Compared with those who remained premenopausal, women who were in the early stages of menopause or perimenopausal were more likely to report tiredness, stiff joints, difficulty sleeping, and hot flushes at Survey 2. Women who remained perimenopausal were also more likely to report back pain and leaking urine. Compared with premenopausal women, odds ratios for night sweats increased for women in consecutive stages of the menopause transition and remained high in the postmenopausal women.

Hot flushes and night sweats symptom profiles over a 17-year period in mid-aged women: The role of hysterectomy with ovarian conservation

“…Frequency of symptoms however has been positively associated with severity [29]; and a previous ALSWH study [30] found that one in three women sought medical care for their vasomotor symptoms, indicating a level of severity. Hysterectomy status was also obtained through self-report; however this is unlikely to have introduced bias as the self-report of this surgery has been assessed to have high validity [31,32].…”

Revisiting the Duration of Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause: A Meta-Analysis

“…1). Of these, six 2,21-25 reported vasomotor symptoms by years to or from FMP, and four [26][27][28][29] reported symptoms based on STRAW stages. Three 2,26,27 were longitudinal, 7 [21][22][23][24][25]28,29 were cross-sectional.…”

“…Four studies [26][27][28][29] did not report symptoms according to years to or from FMP, but according to menopausal stage. We used criteria developed by the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop (STRAW) (30) to standardize the definitions of menopausal stages: premenopause (regular menstrual cycles): S −3 ; early perimenopause (variable cycle length of >7 days different from normal): S −2 ; late perimenopause (variable cycle length of ≥2 skipped menstrual cycles and an interval of amenorrhea ≥60 days): S −1 ; early post-menopause (within 4 years of FMP): S 1 ; late post-menopause (>4 years from FMP): S 2 .…”

Attitudes Towards Menopause Among Iranian Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Attitudes towards menopause are an important influence on the lifestyles of women during menopause, including their experiences of the menopausal transition period and the perceived severity of menopausal symptoms (14,15,(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23). The purpose of this systematic review and metaanalysis was to assess the attitudes of Iranian women towards menopause.…”

“…Memon et al (2014) (13) has also reported that 87% of educated women in Hyderabad, Pakistan had positive attitudes towards menopause. Concerning the deep cultural differences in terms of attitudes towards menopause in women among different communities, Brown has stated that in non-western societies, menopause changes social roles, reduces limitations such as those imposed by certain taboos, and increases the authority of elderly women (14). On the other hand, in western societies, where physical and sexual attractiveness as well as youth and reproductive capacity are seen as valuable female qualities, negative attitudes towards menopause and aging can be observed among women in a large proportion of these communities (15).…”