Scientists talked about the connection of menopause with anxiety

The transition to menopause is accompanied by changes that can affect not only the physical condition, but also the emotional well-being of a woman. During this period, sleep disorders, mood swings, and anxiety may occur. An international team of researchers compared data from women at different stages of menopause and found that they were most likely to report symptoms of anxiety during perimenopause. About which stages of menopause anxiety is associated with is in the Izvestia article.

What data did the scientists analyze?

Researchers from University College London analyzed the results of 21 scientific papers involving 24,523 women from different countries. The results of the systematic review and meta-analysis are published in the journal Scientific Reports. The quantitative analysis included 15 studies that compared the likelihood of reporting anxiety symptoms before menopause, during perimenopause, and after menopause.

The researchers included studies in which anxiety was assessed using standardized questionnaires, interviews, and other tools. At the same time, the researchers took into account the definition of the stages of menopause used in each publication. The analysis was aimed at identifying differences between the groups, rather than tracking changes in each woman's condition over several years.

Scientists have reported drastic changes in the body during menopause

When were the highest rates observed?

According to the results of a meta-analysis, perimenopausal women were 59% more likely to report symptoms of anxiety than women before menopause. In the postmenopausal group, this figure was 63% higher than in the pre-menopausal group.

However, when comparing the two groups directly, it turned out that postmenopausal women were 21% less likely to report anxiety than perimenopausal women. Thus, the most pronounced association with anxiety was observed precisely during the transition period.

The authors emphasized that the results of individual studies varied markedly. Therefore, the data obtained indicate a general pattern in the studied groups, but do not mean that anxiety necessarily occurs in every woman or increases as menopause approaches.

What role do hormones and sleep play?

As a possible explanation, the authors considered fluctuations in estrogen levels. According to previous studies, changes in the concentration of this hormone can affect the work of neurotransmitters — substances involved in the transmission of signals between nerve cells — as well as the body's response to stress. In particular, we are talking about serotonin, dopamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid.

Other manifestations of the menopausal transition can also affect the emotional state. These include hot flashes, fragmented sleep, and social stressors. These factors can interact with each other and be accompanied by increased anxiety.

At the same time, the proposed mechanisms were not tested experimentally in the review itself. The study found statistical links between the stages of menopause and reports of anxiety, but did not establish which biological or external factors determine the differences between the groups.

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What restrictions have been imposed

The authors noted several factors that could have influenced the results. Different methods of anxiety assessment were used in different studies, and some physical symptoms of menopause could overlap with manifestations of anxiety. In addition, when combining data, it was not always possible to fully take into account previous anxiety, sleep disorders, and psychosocial stressors.

Most of the included studies were observational in nature. This does not allow us to determine whether the transition to menopause causes increased anxiety or whether the observed relationship is due to a combination of several circumstances. For more accurate conclusions, large long-term studies are needed in which women will be monitored at different stages of menopause using uniform methods for assessing symptoms.

According to the authors, the results emphasize the importance of paying attention to the psychological state of women during the menopausal transition. However, this pattern does not mean that anxiety is inevitable: the severity of symptoms and their combination may vary from woman to woman.