{"title":"Exploring menopausal symptoms, attitudes, and behaviors among menopausal women in China: an online research perspective.","authors":"Yang You, Lin Lin, Qi Yu","doi":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002428","DOIUrl":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002428","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The number of perimenopausal women in China is rising, but the population's concept of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is still relatively outdated.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this study, we used the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) theory and collected online questionnaires from 1,100 women aged 40 to 60 years nationwide to find out their menopausal symptom profiles; to learn about their perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward menopause and MHT; to explore the factors influencing the acceptance of hormone treatments; and to look for better ways to promote the dissemination of menopausal knowledge.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results revealed that among women aged 40 to 60 years, 82.36% experienced possible menopausal symptoms, with hot flushes/sweating, sleep disorders, mood disorders, and fatigue being the most prevalent; 55.90% reported moderate to severe symptoms, but only 46.99% of them sought healthcare services. Among those who sought medical care, 16.00% had their first visit to climacteric clinics/gynecological endocrinology, and 5.66% accepted MHT. Furthermore, 77.82% of participants never heard of MHT or were unaware of its existence. The healthcare-seeking behavior of menopausal women in response to symptoms and their willingness to accept MHT were found to be closely associated with their level of self-care.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The prevalence of menopausal symptoms is higher in China than previous research findings, but due to a lack of relevant knowledge, the rate of seeking treatment from the appropriate medical department and accepting MHT is relatively low. Enhancing physicians' knowledge of the menopausal transition and using Internet tools might help improve Chinese women's knowledge of menopause and help them pass through this period smoothly.</p>","PeriodicalId":18435,"journal":{"name":"Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142126153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Letters to the Editor.","authors":"Avrum Z Bluming","doi":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002429","DOIUrl":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002429","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18435,"journal":{"name":"Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142004547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Subhadra Evans, Leesa Van Niekerk, Liliana Orellana, Melissa O'Shea, Marilla I Druitt, Sara Jones, Sarah Corrigan, Campbell Heggen, Zuleika Arashiro, Rodney Baber, Lata Satyen, Dave Skvarc, Antonina Mikocka-Walus
{"title":"The need for biopsychosocial menopause care: a narrative review.","authors":"Subhadra Evans, Leesa Van Niekerk, Liliana Orellana, Melissa O'Shea, Marilla I Druitt, Sara Jones, Sarah Corrigan, Campbell Heggen, Zuleika Arashiro, Rodney Baber, Lata Satyen, Dave Skvarc, Antonina Mikocka-Walus","doi":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002441","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/GME.0000000000002441","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Importance and objective: </strong>Menopause is a reproductive transition affecting half the world's population. Stigma and limited availability of evidence-based treatments that support biopsychosocial well-being mean that this life stage is often associated with challenging symptoms and reduced quality of life (QoL). The aim of this review was to examine the extent literature on psychological and mind-body interventions to manage perimenopausal and postmenopausal symptoms, and apply an interdisciplinary clinical, research, and cultural knowledge framework to guide recommendations for improving QoL and healthy aging in this population. We also aimed to understand the ideal delivery mode for such interventions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using Scopus, Medline, and PubMed, a review of systematic reviews, guidelines, and randomized controlled trials was undertaken to examine the use of psychological and mind-body interventions to improve menopause-related QoL and symptoms, including hot flushes, depression, anxiety, fatigue, pain, and sleep; conclusions were based on an analysis of this available evidence and linked to clinical and cultural considerations.</p><p><strong>Discussion and conclusion: </strong>Empirical support exists for a number of psychological and mind-body approaches to support QoL and symptoms during the menopause transition. The literature also identifies the need for menopause care that is culturally responsive.An online multimodal model of menopause care is thus recommended, incorporating evidence-based treatments (eg, cognitive behavioral therapy, yoga, hypnosis) and treatment techniques (eg, mindfulness, and education including nutrition support), as well as First Nations wisdom. We also recommend financial well-being approaches to support people undergoing menopause. Integrated, multimodal approaches should be available online to remove time, location, and healthcare access barriers, and be designed with diverse consumers to ensure equity for those underserved due to region, LGBTIQ+ assigned female at birth status, and for multicultural and First Nations people.</p>","PeriodicalId":18435,"journal":{"name":"Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142522291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Durmalouk Kesibi, Michael Rotondi, Heather Edgell, Hala Tamim
{"title":"The association between age at natural menopause and risk of asthma among postmenopausal women from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.","authors":"Durmalouk Kesibi, Michael Rotondi, Heather Edgell, Hala Tamim","doi":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002443","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/GME.0000000000002443","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to investigate the association between age at natural menopause and incidence of asthma among postmenopausal Canadian women.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Women between the ages of 45-85 yr were followed for a 10-yr period. Analysis was restricted to naturally postmenopausal women who are nonsmokers and did not have asthma prior to menopause. Age at natural menopause was examined using the following categories: 40-44, 45-49, 50-54 (reference), and ≥55. Survival analysis was utilized to determine time to onset of asthma. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between age at natural menopause and asthma after adjusting for covariates.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The multivariable Cox regression analysis showed a 30% decreased risk of asthma in women with age at natural menopause of 40-44 yr compared with age at natural menopause of 50-54 yr with a hazard ratio of 0.7 (95% confidence interval: 0.49-0.95).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Women with later ages at natural menopause may be at increased risk for asthma.</p>","PeriodicalId":18435,"journal":{"name":"Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142522290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Postmenopausal dyspareunia.","authors":"Lauren Streicher","doi":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002438","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/GME.0000000000002438","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dyspareunia in the postmenopausal woman is often multifactorial and requires a thorough history, a targeted physical examination, and coordination of multiple disciplines, including medical professionals, pelvic floor physical therapists, and sex therapists. Although we have come a long way since early assessments of painful sex, evaluation and treatment of dyspareunia remain an unmet need. This is particularly true in postmenopausal women in whom it is commonly assumed that pain with penetrative sex is solely a consequence of atrophy.</p>","PeriodicalId":18435,"journal":{"name":"Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142503474","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jie Wen, Wei Wang, Kexin Liu, Xiaole Sun, Jianghua Zhou, Hongxia Hu, Juyan Liang, Xianmin Bi, Rong Li, Miao Miao
{"title":"The psychological side of menopause: evidence from the comorbidity network of menopausal, anxiety, and depressive symptoms.","authors":"Jie Wen, Wei Wang, Kexin Liu, Xiaole Sun, Jianghua Zhou, Hongxia Hu, Juyan Liang, Xianmin Bi, Rong Li, Miao Miao","doi":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002406","DOIUrl":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002406","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Numerous studies have uncovered a correlation between menopausal, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. How these symptoms interrelate and influence each other, however, remains unclear. This study aimed to identify the associations between menopausal, anxiety, and depressive symptoms using network analysis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The participants comprised 423 women ( Mage = 49.21 ± 4.01 y; range, 40-60 y) recruited from a menopause clinic at a tertiary hospital in Beijing, China. Demographic characteristics and menopausal, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were obtained through self-report questionnaires. Two networks were established: a partial correlation network and a Bayesian network.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The menopausal symptom of nervousness exhibited a robust association with anxiety symptoms in both networks. Within the partial correlation network, the depressive symptom of tiredness emerged as a pivotal symptom, facilitating the co-occurrence of menopausal and depressive symptoms. Bayesian network analysis exhibited that the depressive symptom of a loss of interest was related to certain menopausal symptoms through depressive symptoms of tiredness and motor problems, both serving as critical links between menopausal symptoms and depression. Notably, four menopausal symptoms-arthralgia/myalgia, formication, sexual complaints, and urinary tract infection-appeared independent of other menopausal, anxiety, and depressive symptoms.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Both psychological (eg, fatigue) and somatic (eg, hot flashes, headaches, and dizziness) menopausal symptoms demonstrate strong associations with depression. In providing optimal support for women's health during menopause, psychological interventions aimed at depression, particularly among those experiencing a loss of interest or pleasure in activities, should complement conventional therapies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18435,"journal":{"name":"Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141792815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Basics of the menopause transition.","authors":"Nanette Santoro","doi":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002423","DOIUrl":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002423","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18435,"journal":{"name":"Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142349745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Neurokinin receptor antagonists as potential nonhormone treatments for vasomotor symptoms.","authors":"Nanette Santoro","doi":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002414","DOIUrl":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002414","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Managing menopause symptoms is challenging for women unable or unwilling to take hormone therapy. All nonhormone options thus far have shown less overall efficacy compared with hormone therapy and significant adverse events that limit their use. New science has identified the source of vasomotor symptoms, achieving relief of these bothersome symptoms by directly targeting the neurokinin 3 receptor and its related pathways. This Practice Pearl reviews the clinical data available on neurokinin receptor antagonists.</p>","PeriodicalId":18435,"journal":{"name":"Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142073147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hacer U Koca, Didem S Kucukkelepce, Gulcin Nacar, Nurdilan S Çetin, Sermin T Taşhan
{"title":"The effects of acupressure, laughter yoga, and a mindfulness-based stress reduction program applied to postmenopausal women for menopause symptoms and quality of life.","authors":"Hacer U Koca, Didem S Kucukkelepce, Gulcin Nacar, Nurdilan S Çetin, Sermin T Taşhan","doi":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002402","DOIUrl":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002402","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This research was conducted to determine the effects of acupressure, laughter yoga, and a mindfulness-based stress reduction program applied to postmenopausal women for menopause symptoms and quality of life.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A randomized controlled design was used. The study was conducted with a total of 146 women, including 41 acupressure, 31 laughter yoga, 37 mindfulness-based stress reduction, and 37 control group women. The women in the acupressure group were administered acupressure twice a week, which accounted for 16 sessions in total. Women in the laughter yoga and mindfulness-based stress reduction groups received a total of eight sessions of the related intervention, which was performed once a week. Study data were collected using a participant information form, the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), and the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Scale (MENQOL). Descriptive statistics, paired-samples t test, χ 2 test, analysis of variance test, and intention to treat analysis were used to analyze the data. Before the intention to treat analysis was performed, the multiple imputation method was employed to deal with missing data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In the study, it was found that there was a decrease in the MRS total score after the intervention in women in all three intervention groups compared to the control group ( P < 0.05). In the laughter yoga group, total MRS scores decreased by 3.16 points ( P < 0.05). In the acupressure group, total MRS scores decreased by 5.46 points ( P < 0.05). In the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program group, total MRS scores decreased by 4.65 points ( P < 0.05). It was determined that the mean scores of women in the laughter yoga and acupressure groups on all subscales of the MENQOL decreased after the intervention compared to the control group ( P < 0.05). The comparison of the MBSR group and the control group showed that there was a decrease only in the psychosocial domain subdimension of the MENQOL ( P < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In conclusion, it was determined that laughter yoga, acupressure, and MBSR could be effective in reducing menopause symptoms and improving quality of life, although findings require further testing in a rigorously controlled study and in a study with only a single prespecified outcome.</p>","PeriodicalId":18435,"journal":{"name":"Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142126155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexandra E Cowan-Pyle, Taylor C Wallace, Kevin C Klatt, Margaret Slavin, Regan L Bailey
{"title":"Dietary choline and betaine intake minimally impacts rate of annualized cognitive performance throughout the menopause transition: data from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation.","authors":"Alexandra E Cowan-Pyle, Taylor C Wallace, Kevin C Klatt, Margaret Slavin, Regan L Bailey","doi":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002408","DOIUrl":"10.1097/GME.0000000000002408","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Dietary choline is associated with lower risk of dementia in older adults, yet this association during mid-life remains unknown. Given that menopause reflects a nutrition-sensitive time point where prevention strategies may mitigate cognitive deficits, we examined the relationship of choline, betaine, and egg intakes (ie, dietary exposures) with cognitive performance in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) cohort ( N = 1,006).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>SWAN is a longitudinal study of women across the menopause transition. Diet was assessed via modified Block food frequency questionnaire, and cognitive function was examined using the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, Digits Backward Test, and East Boston Memory Test (EBMT). Annualized rate of cognitive scores and quartiles of diet were computed using linear mixed models overall (all diet exposures) and by baseline menopausal status (choline, betaine only).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among all women, higher choline ( P -for-trend = 0.006) and betaine ( P -for-trend = 0.005) intakes, independently and combined (ie, choline + betaine; P -for-trend = 0.001), were significantly associated with reduced rate of change on the EBMT-Delayed Recall (DR), but egg intake did not consistently impact cognitive function. By menopausal status, higher betaine, but not choline, was associated with a lower annualized rate of change in cognitive performance on the EBMT-DR (mean difference [95% confidence interval]; Q1: referent vs Q4: -0.071 [-0.17, 0.03]; P -for-trend = 0.006) for early perimenopausal women; nevertheless, choline and betaine were not associated with cognitive function among premenopausal women.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Higher dietary betaine intake among early perimenopausal women and higher dietary intakes of betaine and choline, independently and combined, among all women, were minimally associated with the trajectory of verbal episodic memory, yet no associations between diet and cognition were observed among premenopausal women. Future research should address the relationship between dietary intake and cognition during menopause in other research settings and cohorts.</p>","PeriodicalId":18435,"journal":{"name":"Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141792810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}