Vasomotor symptoms and cardiometabolic risk factors in menopausal women: a MONET Group study

Trajectories of mood and stress and relationships with protective factors during the transition to menopause: results using latent class growth modeling in a Canadian cohort

The menopause transition is characterized by significant hormonal changes that may predispose women to psychosocial maladjustment. Prospective studies to date have focused primarily on negative mood states and show equivocal findings. The primary goal of this study was to identify patterns of change with respect to positive and negative mood states (vigor, depression, tension, and stress) over a 5-year period in a cohort of women undergoing the transition to menopause. A secondary aim was to determine whether the identified trajectories were associated with menopause status as well as baseline health-related and psychological characteristics. This longitudinal study observed 102 healthy Canadian women who were premenopausal at baseline (age 47-55 years). Analyses consisted of latent class growth modeling. Mood states were predominantly normal and stable, raising doubts regarding the notion that psychosocial distress is a common and natural occurrence during the transition to menopause. Neither time spent in perimenopause nor BMI had a significant influence on levels of mood indicators. However, higher scores on body image, self-esteem, and general health perceptions were predictive of more positive psychological outcomes over the 5-year period. Targeting improvements in self-perceptions may promote a healthier psychological adjustment during this natural transitional period in a women's lifespan.

Vasomotor symptoms and metabolic syndrome

A vast majority of menopausal women suffer from vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flushes and night sweats, the mean duration of which may be up to 7-10 years. In addition to a decreased quality of life, vasomotor symptoms may have an impact on overall health. Vasomotor symptoms are associated with overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system, and sympathetic overdrive in turn is associated with metabolic syndrome, which is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Menopausal hot flushes have a complex relationship to different features of the metabolic syndrome and not all data point towards an association between vasomotor symptoms and metabolic syndrome. Thus, it is still unclear whether vasomotor symptoms are an independent risk factor for metabolic syndrome. Research in this area is constantly evolving and we present here the most recent data on the possible association between menopausal vasomotor symptoms and the metabolic syndrome.