Prevalence of menopausal symptoms around the time of the final menstrual period in Japanese women: Data from the Japan Nurses' Health Study

Objective

To characterize various menopausal symptoms by examining their prevalence around the time of the final menstrual period (FMP).

Study design

The Japan Nurses' Health Study is a prospective cohort study on women's health. All participants, regardless of their age at the initial survey, were mailed a 4-year follow-up questionnaire that included questions on 21 climacteric symptoms. We analyzed 5189 Japanese women who completed the questionnaire 6 years before to 10 years after their FMP.

Main outcome measures

The prevalence of severe climacteric symptoms in the years before and after the time of the FMP (YFMP).

Results

Four distinct patterns were identified in the distribution of age-adjusted prevalence ratios by YFMP categories during menopausal transition. The prevalence of Group 1A symptoms (hot flashes, sweats, and poor memory or forgetfulness) was highest at the FMP and this continued through to the postmenopausal period. The prevalence of Group 1B symptoms was highest around the FMP but declined in the postmenopausal period. The independent effect of age was negatively significantly associated with most symptoms in Groups 1A and 1B, which suggested that younger women were more likely to have symptoms if they were in the same YFMP. In Group 2, the prevalence of symptoms did not increase. In Group 3, severe symptoms were rare.

Conclusions

Climacteric symptoms can be characterized according to their prevalence in the YFMP. The improved understanding of symptoms based on when they appear relative to the FMP could enable more detailed management of menopausal disorders and facilitate the prediction of changes in symptoms in Japanese women.