Cohort study, 2008
Do headaches, irritability, and mood swings get worse or better during the transition to menopause?
Surprisingly, these symptoms improve. Headaches decrease, and irritability and mood swings decline as women approach menopause, though these improvements are linked to hormone shifts and especially to a woman's PMS history and current stress.
What they did
A 9-year longitudinal study of women during the Penn Ovarian Aging Study tracked symptoms using interviews and questionnaires. Researchers measured menstrual bleeding patterns and blood hormone levels (estradiol, FSH, and testosterone) and assessed whether symptoms were linked to menopausal stage and hormone levels.
What they found
Headache significantly decreased during the menopause transition (P=.002). Mood swings were inversely associated with FSH levels (P=.005), and irritability was inversely associated with FSH (P=.017) and testosterone (P=.008). In analysis including multiple factors, premenstrual syndrome (P<.001) and perceived stress (P<.001) were strongly associated with irritability and mood swings.
What it means for you
Many women expect irritability to worsen at menopause, but these symptoms often improve. However, a woman's PMS history and stress levels are even stronger predictors of these symptoms than hormone levels, suggesting managing stress and addressing prior mental health may be as important as hormones.
9 years
study duration
P=.002
headache decrease significance
P<.001
PMS and stress link to irritability
About the study
- Original title
- Symptoms in the menopausal transition: hormone and behavioral correlates
- Authors
- Freeman EW, Sammel MD, Lin H et al.
- Journal
- Obstetrics and gynecology
- Year
- 2008
- Study design
- Cohort study
- What was tested
- None (observation only)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/01.aog.0000295867.06184.b1
Topics
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