--- title: Do headaches, irritability, and mood swings get worse or better during the transition to menopause? description: Surprisingly, these symptoms improve. Headaches decrease, and irritability and mood swings decline as women approach menopause, though these improvements are url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/symptoms-in-the-menopausal-transition-hormone-and-behavioral-correlates-2008/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do headaches, irritability, and mood swings get worse or better during the transition to menopause? Cohort study, 2008 # Do headaches, irritability, and mood swings get worse or better during the transition to menopause? Surprisingly, these symptoms improve. Headaches decrease, and irritability and mood swings decline as women approach menopause, though these improvements are linked to hormone shifts and especially to a woman's PMS history and current stress. Moderate study design Women studied across 9 years during the Penn Ovarian Aging Study as they transitioned toward menopause ## What they did A 9-year longitudinal study of women during the Penn Ovarian Aging Study tracked symptoms using interviews and questionnaires. Researchers measured menstrual bleeding patterns and blood hormone levels (estradiol, FSH, and testosterone) and assessed whether symptoms were linked to menopausal stage and hormone levels. ## What they found Headache significantly decreased during the menopause transition (P=.002). Mood swings were inversely associated with FSH levels (P=.005), and irritability was inversely associated with FSH (P=.017) and testosterone (P=.008). In analysis including multiple factors, premenstrual syndrome (P<.001) and perceived stress (P<.001) were strongly associated with irritability and mood swings. ## What it means for you Many women expect irritability to worsen at menopause, but these symptoms often improve. However, a woman's PMS history and stress levels are even stronger predictors of these symptoms than hormone levels, suggesting managing stress and addressing prior mental health may be as important as hormones. 9 years study duration P=.002 headache decrease significance P<.001 PMS and stress link to irritability ## About the study Original title Symptoms in the menopausal transition: hormone and behavioral correlates Authors Freeman EW, Sammel MD, Lin H et al. Journal Obstetrics and gynecology Year 2008 Study design Cohort study What was tested None (observation only) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1097/01.aog.0000295867.06184.b1](https://doi.org/10.1097/01.aog.0000295867.06184.b1) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Mood swings and emotion regulation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-emotional-regulation/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Perimenopause and menopause](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-perimenopause/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Survey study, 1994 How many different ways do researchers measure PMS in clinical trials? Survey study, 2025 Can a smartphone app help diagnose and monitor PMS? Survey study, 2017 Do women using hormonal birth control have fewer menstrual symptoms? Survey study, 2013 Are menstrual symptoms common in middle-aged women and do they relate to hot flushes? Survey study, 1982 How common are premenstrual symptoms in American women, and what factors affect them? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗