Survey study, 1998
Does a history of premenstrual problems predict worse symptoms during menopause?
Yes. Women who had premenstrual problems experienced more physical and psychological symptoms during the menopause transition.
What they did
Randomly selected 291 urban women aged 45-55 and interviewed them yearly for three years. They compared symptoms in women with a history of premenstrual complaints (104 women) to those without (187 women).
What they found
Women with prior premenstrual complaints had more symptoms during menopause, including low mood, skeletal symptoms, digestive and respiratory symptoms. They also reported more interpersonal stress, frequent hassles, higher current smoking rates, and less exercise.
What it means for you
Having had premenstrual problems predicts a more difficult menopause transition. However, the study cannot show whether this is due to shared biology, stress, lifestyle factors, or a combination. It only included urban women in one time period.
104
with history of premenstrual complaints
187
without prior premenstrual problems
3
years of yearly interviews
About the study
- Original title
- Relationships between premenstrual complaints and perimenopausal experiences
- Authors
- Morse CA, Dudley E, Guthrie J et al.
- Journal
- Journal of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology
- Year
- 1998
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 187
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.3109/01674829809025696
Topics
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