Climacteric symptoms more severe in 2010 than in 2000 - experience of Finnish women aged 52-56 years not now or previously on menopausal hormone therapy

Increasing climacteric symptoms in untreated perimenopausal Finnish women: a 10-year cohort study

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine changes over a 10-year period in experiencing climacteric symptoms and their associations with sociodemographic and health-related background factors in a birth cohort of Finnish women who have never used menopausal hormone therapy (MHT).

METHODS

This nationwide population-based follow-up study consists of 1491 women who during the follow-up period moved from the age group 42-46 years to the age group 52-56 years. The experience of climacteric symptoms was assessed by 12 symptoms commonly associated with the climacterium. The data were analyzed using statistical techniques.

RESULTS

Both the intensity, expressed as a symptom score of four symptoms associated with a decrease in estrogen production (sweating, hot flushes, vaginal dryness, sleeping problems), and the prevalence of the five most common symptoms (sweating, hot flushes, sleeping problems, lack of sexual desire, depressive symptoms) increased clearly during the follow-up period. The examined sociodemographic and health-related variables did not explain the changes in experiencing the symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study can be considered in primary and occupational health care and in gynecological settings when working with symptomatic women or women with hidden climacteric problems and carrying out health promotion and counseling for them.

Changes in the Oral Cavity in Menopausal Women-A Narrative Review

Oral health awareness during the menopausal period is essential to minimize the inevitable inconveniences which may occur due to hormonal changes. The decrease in estrogen hormone concentration impacts the oral mucosa in a similar way to the vaginal mucosa due to the presence of estrogen receptors in both of these structures. An estrogen deficiency also affects the maturation process of the oral mucosal epithelium and can lead to its thinning and atrophy, making it more susceptible to local mechanical injuries, causing a change in pain tolerance and problems in the use of removable prosthetic restorations. Mucosal epithelium during the menopausal period is more vulnerable to infections, candidiasis, burning mouth syndrome, oral lichen planus (OLP), or idiopathic neuropathy. Moreover, salivary glands are also hormone-dependent which leads to changes in saliva secretion and its consistency. In consequence, it may affect teeth and periodontal tissues, resulting in an increased risk of caries and periodontal disease in menopausal women. Due to the large variety of complaints and symptoms occurring in the oral cavity, menopausal women constitute a significant group of patients who should receive special preventive and therapeutic care from doctors and dentists in this particular period.