Menopause : the Journal of the North American Menopause Society

OBJECTIVE: To compare the vaginal microbiota of premenopausal and postmenopausal women and postmenopausal women undergoing menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and examine the association between vaginal microbiota and genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). METHODS: This cross-sectional study classified 94 women aged 40 to 60 years into three groups: premenopausal (Pre, n = 32), postmenopausal (Post, n = 30), and postmenopausal women who received MHT orally (Post + MHT, n = 32)...

OBJECTIVE: The number of perimenopausal women in China is rising, but the population's concept of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is still relatively outdated. METHODS: 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...

OBJECTIVES: To better understand whether history of infertility is associated with anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels later in life, outside of reproduction. METHODS: Among 1,758 premenopausal women in the Nurses' Health Study II with measured AMH, we used multivariable generalized linear models to compare log-transformed plasma AMH for women with a history of infertility compared with fertile women. We investigated AMH levels by cause of infertility and effect modification by menstrual cycle regularity...

OBJECTIVE: 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. METHODS: 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...

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence and factors associated with dyspareunia and the lack of sexual intercourse in women between 50 and 70 years cohabiting with their partners. METHODS: This is a descriptive and exploratory cross-sectional study using the snowball technique with prospective data collection using a structured questionnaire to describe multiple aspects of health and sexuality among 266 cohabiting Brazilian couples aged 50 to 70. RESULTS: The prevalence of lack of sexual activity was 20%...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity and its association with the level of physical activity, alone and combined with sedentary behavior. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed. The sample was composed of 317 women aged between 24 and 59 years. Sarcopenic obesity was determined by the coexistence of sarcopenia (reduced muscle mass and strength) and obesity (% fat). Dual-energy x-ray absorption was used to evaluate muscle mass and % fat, with cutoff points of <15 kg and <31...

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...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the association between systemic inflammation, measured by the systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII), and menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 702 postmenopausal women recruited from a tertiary hospital. Participants completed the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) to assess somatic, psychological, and urogenital symptoms. Blood samples were collected to calculate SII...

OBJECTIVE: Perimenopause is the period from the early menopausal transition to 12 months after the final menstrual period. The clustering of menopausal symptoms poses a challenge for perimenopausal management. Core symptoms are targets for interventions that can alleviate other related symptoms. Bridge symptoms are connectors that link related symptom clusters and can improve the effectiveness of interventions. This study aims to construct a network structure of menopausal symptoms and to identify core and bridge symptoms as a reference for future management...

OBJECTIVE: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been linked with menopause symptoms (eg, vasomotor, urinary) and their sequelae (eg, sexual difficulties). However, PTSD is a heterogeneous disorder, and less is known about which aspects may be most associated with menopause-related health. METHODS: Using confirmatory factor analyses, we evaluated five structural models of PTSD symptoms in 208 predominately postmenopausal women veterans (aged 45-64 years). We investigated associations between PTSD-operationalized as a probable diagnosis and symptom dimensions of the best-fitting model-and common menopause-related health concerns, including (1) vasomotor, urinary, and vaginal symptoms; (2) vasomotor symptom interference; and (3) sexual functioning...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between menopausal symptoms and cognitive decline in postmenopausal women. METHODS: This was a subanalysis of a cross-sectional, observational study conducted among women attending gynecological consultations across nine Latin American countries. The survey involved late postmenopausal women who were asked to complete a general questionnaire and the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) to assess menopausal symptoms, with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment used to evaluate cognitive function as an outcome...

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated sex differences in all-cause mortality and life span between women undergoing premature menopause and men using propensity score matching analysis. METHODS: Data were from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2018) and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (1988-1994). We included 3,214 women experiencing premature menopause and 23,067 men. The participants were all older than 40 years. Propensity score matching analysis created matched cohorts of women and men using a 1:1 ratio...

Menopause, defined by the cessation of menstrual cycles after 12 months of amenorrhea not due to other causes, is associated with significant hormonal changes, primarily a decrease in estrogen, androgen, and progesterone levels. This review delves into the effects of estrogen deficiency during the perimenopausal transition and postmenopause, integrating the findings of basic science with clinical trials. Here, we first outline the variation in endogenous estrogens before and after menopause, exploring both genomic and nongenomic actions of estrogen and its estrogen receptors throughout the body...

OBJECTIVES: Our study aims to understand public knowledge of postmenopausal bleeding as an endometrial cancer symptom and how past provider counseling on postmenopausal bleeding affects knowledge and care-seeking behaviors related to postmenopausal bleeding. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey study of people assigned female at birth. Study participants were recruited at a university research facility located at the Minnesota State Fair in September 2021...

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OBJECTIVE: 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). METHODS: SWAN is a longitudinal study of women across the menopause transition...

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OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the symptom experience and coping strategies for managing joint pain during the menopause transition in urban Latina women. METHODS: We conducted focus groups with 13 English-speaking peri and early postmenopausal Latinas living in Upper Manhattan in New York City in 2014. Eligible participants were self-identified Latinas aged 45 to 60 years with new onset or worsening joint pain and spontaneous amenorrhea, recruited through flyers and snowball sampling...