A study by the University of Oulu has found that women who entered menopause earlier than usual reported more symptoms of anxiety and depression than women of the same age who had not yet entered menopause.
The menopausal transition refers to the stage when the menstrual cycle and hormonal function change, and symptoms associated with menopause, such as hot flushes and sleep disturbances, may occur. Menopause, meaning the final menstrual period, occurs later in this process. In Finnish women, the average age at menopause is around 51.
The study examined data from more than 2,600 women from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. The women were 46 years old at the time of the study.
The researchers divided the participants into two groups according to whether they had already entered menopausal transition or not. The classification was based on hormone level measurements, information on menstrual cycles and medication purchases. Menopausal transition had already begun in 13 per cent of the women studied.
Symptoms of anxiety were reported significantly more often by women who had entered the menopausal transition than by other women of the same age. Clinically significant anxiety symptoms were reported by approximately 23 per cent of women who had entered the menopausal transition, compared with 16 per cent of women in the comparison group.
The association remained after the analyses accounted for factors including smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index and education. Women who had already entered menopausal transition were 44 per cent more likely to experience clinically significant anxiety symptoms than women who had not yet entered menopausal transition.
Clinically significant depressive symptoms were also more common among women who had entered the menopausal transition. Just over 30 per cent of these women reported symptoms, compared with just under 25 per cent in the comparison group. The association remained after the study also accounted for background factors.
According to the researchers, the findings highlight the importance of paying attention to mental health during menopause, particularly when menopause begins at a younger-than-usual age.
“Recognising psychological symptoms can help ensure that women receive timely treatment and support during menopause,” says Tiia Saarinen, a medical doctor and doctoral researcher at the University of Oulu.
The study was published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica in September: