Study finds only physical functioning reduced during transition
A new study published in the September/October issue of Menopause, indicates that menopausal transition has relatively little effect on quality of life.
Nancy E. Avis, Ph.D., from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., and colleagues examined health-related quality of life (HRQL) at menopausal transition in 3,302 premenopausal or perimenopausal women who were 42 to 52 years of age.
Over seven years, the researchers found that reduced role limitations due to physical health were more likely at late perimenopause and postmenopause compared with premenopause. Menopausal status was not associated with bodily pain, vitality, limitations due to emotional problems or social functioning.
“The menopausal transition showed little impact on HRQL when adjusted for symptoms, medical conditions, and stress,” Avis and colleagues conclude. “These findings highlight the importance of controlling for important covariates in assessing the impact of the menopausal transition on HRQL.”
