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Journal of Women's Health (2002) Jan 2015This literature review focuses on contraception in perimenopausal women. As women age, their fecundity decreases but does not disappear until menopause. After age 40,... (Review)
Review
This literature review focuses on contraception in perimenopausal women. As women age, their fecundity decreases but does not disappear until menopause. After age 40, 75% of pregnancies are unplanned and may result in profound physical and emotional impact. Clinical evaluation must be relied on to diagnose menopause, since hormonal levels fluctuate widely. Until menopause is confirmed, some potential for pregnancy remains; at age 45, women's sterility rate is 55%. Older gravidas experience higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, and death. Many safe and effective contraceptive options are available to perimenopausal women. In addition to preventing an unplanned and higher-risk pregnancy, perimenopausal contraception may improve abnormal uterine bleeding, hot flashes, and menstrual migraines. Long-acting reversible contraceptives, including the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS), the etonogestrel subdermal implant (ESI), and the copper intrauterine device (Cu-IUD), provide high efficacy without estrogen. LNG-IUS markedly decreases menorrhagia commonly seen in perimenopause. Both ESI and LNG-IUS provide endometrial protection for women using estrogen for vasomotor symptoms. Women without cardiovascular risk factors can safely use combined hormonal contraception. The CDC's Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use informs choices for women with comorbidities. No medical contraindications exist for levonorgestrel emergency-contraceptive pills, though obesity does decrease efficacy. In contrast, the Cu-IUD provides reliable emergency and ongoing contraception regardless of body mass index (BMI).
Topics: Adult; Age Factors; Contraception; Contraceptive Agents, Female; Female; Humans; Intrauterine Devices, Medicated; Perimenopause; Pregnancy; Pregnancy, Unplanned; Women's Health
PubMed: 24773233
DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2013.4544 -
Climacteric : the Journal of the... Oct 2022Regional homogeneity (ReHo) was used to evaluate the changes of brain function and the relationship with cognitive function in perimenopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
Regional homogeneity (ReHo) was used to evaluate the changes of brain function and the relationship with cognitive function in perimenopausal women.
METHODS:
The cross-sectional study recruited 25 perimenopausal women and 25 postmenopausal women who underwent sex hormone level measurements, clinical and neuropsychological assessments, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. ReHo was measured based on the resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data and the differences in ReHo between the perimenopausal and postmenopausal groups were compared. Gray matter volume (GMV) values of brain regions with differences (region of interest [ROI]) in ReHo were extracted and the differences of GMV between the two groups were compared. We analyzed the correlations of the ReHo and GMV values of these ROIs with the results of sex hormone levels, clinical and neuropsychological assessments in the two groups.
RESULTS
ReHo values in the left lingual gyrus and the right precentral gyrus increased in perimenopause, whereas ReHo values in the left inferior temporal gyrus and bilateral putamen decreased. Correlation analysis showed that the ReHo values of the left inferior temporal gyrus positively correlated with the reaction time of the Stroop color word test in perimenopausal women.
CONCLUSIONS
Changes in abnormal patterns of the ReHo in perimenopausal women affect cognitive function. These changes in brain function may provide more insights and information on the neural mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction in perimenopausal women.
Topics: Brain; Cognition; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Perimenopause
PubMed: 34994285
DOI: 10.1080/13697137.2021.2014808 -
Skin Research and Technology : Official... Jul 2023The decline in estrogen levels from several years before (perimenopause) and during menopause has various negative effects, including skin specific issues, which often... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
Evaluation of adapted dermocosmetic regimens for perimenopausal and menopausal women using an artificial intelligence-based algorithm and quality of life questionnaires: An open observational study.
BACKGROUND
The decline in estrogen levels from several years before (perimenopause) and during menopause has various negative effects, including skin specific issues, which often receive less attention than other menopausal symptoms despite having a significant negative effect on quality of life (QoL). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-aging dermocosmetic products designed for women during the perimenopause and menopause.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
An open study of 101 perimenopausal women (no menstruation for 4-12 months or irregular menstruation for <5 years) and 101 menopausal women (no menstruation for >12 months), not taking hormone replacement therapy, was conducted. Adapted dermocosmetic regimens, specific to each group (day cream, night cream and serum), were applied for 56 days. Assessments included automatic artificial intelligence diagnostics of eight clinical facial signs, hydration and transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and a menopause skin QoL questionnaire.
RESULTS
Mean age was 50 ± 3.9 years (range 41-57) and 59 ± 3.8 years (range 50-66) for the perimenopause and menopause groups, respectively. Significant improvements in wrinkles and vascular signs, increases in hydration, decreases in TEWL, and a positive impact on QoL were observed after 56 days of application of the respective dermocosmetic regimens for both the perimenopause and menopause groups.
CONCLUSION
The anti-aging skin care products designed specifically for perimenopausal and menopausal women increased skin hydration and improved wrinkles with a positive impact on QoL.
Topics: Female; Humans; Adult; Middle Aged; Perimenopause; Quality of Life; Artificial Intelligence; Menopause; Surveys and Questionnaires; Algorithms
PubMed: 37522490
DOI: 10.1111/srt.13349 -
Sleep Medicine May 2021Sleep quality typically decreases after menopause, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Concentrations of melatonin are lower and its secretion profiles...
BACKGROUND
Sleep quality typically decreases after menopause, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Concentrations of melatonin are lower and its secretion profiles different before and after menopause. However, whether and how melatonin and sleep architecture are associated in women of different reproductive states have not been examined to date.
METHODS
Overnight serum melatonin samples were taken from 17 perimenopausal and 18 postmenopausal healthy women. Sleep quality was measured with all-night polysomnography recordings.
RESULTS
Melatonin concentrations tended to be the lowest during NREM sleep, and were associated with higher odds of transitions from wake to NREM sleep. The curves of predicted overnight melatonin values from linear mixed models varied according to sleep phases (NREM, REM, Wake) in perimenopausal, but not in postmenopausal women. In perimenopause higher melatonin area under curve (AUC) correlated with higher slow-wave activity (p = 0.043), and higher minimum concentrations with shorter slow-wave sleep (SWS) latency (p = 0.029). In postmenopause higher mean and maximum melatonin concentrations and AUC correlated with lower SWS percentage (p = 0.044, p = 0.029, p = 0.032), and higher mean (p = 0.032), maximum (p = 0.032) and minimum (p = 0.037) concentrations with more awakenings from REM sleep. In the age- and BMI- adjusted regression models, the association between higher maximum (p = 0.046) melatonin concentration and lower SWS percentage remained.
CONCLUSIONS
The relationship between melatonin and sleep architecture differed in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. After menopause, high melatonin concentrations were associated with worse sleep. Whether these different patterns are related to aging of the reproductive system, and to decrease in menopausal sleep quality, remains to be elucidated.
Topics: Female; Humans; Melatonin; Perimenopause; Polysomnography; Postmenopause; Sleep
PubMed: 33639482
DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2021.02.011 -
Der Internist Jun 2020Peri- and postmenopausal disorders can have a significant impact on quality of life. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) might be necessary in order to decrease women's... (Review)
Review
Peri- and postmenopausal disorders can have a significant impact on quality of life. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) might be necessary in order to decrease women's symptoms. The German S3 guideline "Peri- and Postmenopause-Diagnostics and Therapy" (2020) provides recommendations that include the most recent evidence as well as the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study results from 2002 and 2004. These results led to reduced prescription patterns due to a high risk of cardiovascular diseases as well as an increased risk for breast cancer if HRT had been administered. Both ongoing analyses of subgroups and other studies extenuated the WHI data, since the increased risks were neither generalizable to the typical postmenopausal patient (regarding age and risk profile) nor to the medication being used today. This article summarizes all aspects of HRT in peri- and postmenopausal women (indications, contraindications, practical approaches, risks, prevention) and provides recommendations with respect to the most recent S3 guideline.
Topics: Aged; Estrogen Replacement Therapy; Estrogens; Female; Hormone Replacement Therapy; Humans; Middle Aged; Perimenopause; Postmenopause; Progesterone; Quality of Life; Women's Health
PubMed: 32333087
DOI: 10.1007/s00108-020-00789-x -
Journal of Healthcare Engineering 2023100 healthy perimenopausal women were recruited and randomly assigned to two groups, with 50 subjects in each group. In the control group, placebo was administrated... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
METHOD
100 healthy perimenopausal women were recruited and randomly assigned to two groups, with 50 subjects in each group. In the control group, placebo was administrated daily for 3 cycles (4 weeks of treatment for 1 cycle and drug withdrawals for 1 week). The study group received 3 mg oral melatonin treatment daily in the same period of time. All subjects completed the study. We compared the uterine volume, endometrial thickness, LH (luteinizing hormone), FSH (follicle generating hormone), E2 (estradiol), and melatonin levels during daytime between the two groups before and after the study. Moreover, perimenopause syndrome, sleep, mood, and QoL were analyzed at the baseline and 3 cycles by the questionnaires of the Kupperman index, the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), the Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA), and the Hamilton depression scale (HAMD), as well as menopausal QoL (MENQOL), respectively. Any adverse reactions experienced by the subjects were also compared in the study. Finally, 91 participants (92%) completed the whole study, 47 and 44 in the study and control groups, respectively, and their data were considered in subsequent analyses.
RESULTS
After therapy, the two groups were similar in the uterine volume and endometrial thickness. In contrast to the control group, the study group showed notably decreased LH and FSH levels. No notable difference was discovered in E2 and melatonin levels between the two groups in the study. Moreover, the study group exhibited a significantly lower score in the Kupperman index, PSQI, HAMA, HAMD, and MENQOL scale than the control group. Moreover, the two groups had no notable difference in adverse reactions.
CONCLUSION
Melatonin was a useful treatment to relieve climacteric symptoms and improve sleep, mood, and life quality in perimenopausal women without obvious adverse reactions.
Topics: Female; Humans; Perimenopause; Melatonin; Quality of Life; Sleep; Affect; Follicle Stimulating Hormone
PubMed: 37854169
DOI: 10.1155/2023/2198804 -
Heart (British Cardiac Society) Jan 2018
Topics: Estrogen Replacement Therapy; Estrogens; Female; Humans; Perimenopause; Postmenopause
PubMed: 28739806
DOI: 10.1136/heartjnl-2017-311583 -
Current Psychiatry Reports Nov 2019We review recent data on bipolar disorder in menopausal-aged women, particularly in women undergoing the menopausal transition (MT). We discuss evidence on the severity... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
We review recent data on bipolar disorder in menopausal-aged women, particularly in women undergoing the menopausal transition (MT). We discuss evidence on the severity of symptoms in bipolar women during the MT. Moreover, we address two factors in bipolar disorder and menopausal research: standardized menopausal staging and women's conceptualization of their menopausal and bipolar symptoms.
RECENT FINDINGS
While there are few studies within the last 5 years on bipolar women undergoing the MT, new evidence suggest that mood symptoms in women worsen with progression through the MT. Consistent use of the standardized menopausal staging system can facilitate understanding of the timing of worsening symptoms. Moreover, whether women conceptualize their symptoms as arising from their MT or bipolar disorder can influence whether they seek hormonal therapy or psychiatric treatment, respectively. The MT is a potential time for mood instability in vulnerable women, which can manifest as first-onset development of bipolar disorder or increased symptom severity in women with pre-existing bipolar disorder. Adoption of a standardized menopausal staging may offer novel frameworks for understanding of the role of the MT in bipolar disorder.
Topics: Bipolar Disorder; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Perimenopause
PubMed: 31768664
DOI: 10.1007/s11920-019-1111-3 -
Menopause (New York, N.Y.) Jul 2017Abnormalities in autonomic function are posited to play a pathophysiologic role in menopausal hot flashes. We examined relationships between resting cardiac autonomic... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
OBJECTIVE
Abnormalities in autonomic function are posited to play a pathophysiologic role in menopausal hot flashes. We examined relationships between resting cardiac autonomic activity and hot flashes in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
METHODS
Autonomic function was assessed at baseline and 12 weeks among perimenopausal and postmenopausal women (n = 121, mean age 53 years) in a randomized trial of slow-paced respiration for hot flashes. Pre-ejection period (PEP), a marker of sympathetic activation, was measured with impedance cardiography. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a marker of parasympathetic activation, was measured with electrocardiography. Participants self-reported hot flash frequency and severity in 7-day symptom diaries. Analysis of covariance models were used to relate autonomic function and hot flash frequency and severity at baseline, and to relate changes in autonomic function to changes in hot flash frequency and severity over 12 weeks, adjusting for age, body mass index, and intervention assignment.
RESULTS
PEP was not associated with hot flash frequency or severity at baseline or over 12 weeks (P > 0.05 for all). In contrast, there was a trend toward greater frequency of moderate-to-severe hot flashes with higher RSA at baseline (β = 0.43, P = 0.06), and a positive association between change in RSA and change in frequency of moderate-to-severe hot flashes over 12 weeks (β = 0.63, P = 0.04).
CONCLUSIONS
Among perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with hot flashes, variations in hot flash frequency and severity were not explained by variations in resting sympathetic activation. Greater parasympathetic activation was associated with more frequent moderate-to-severe hot flashes, which may reflect increased sensitivity to perceiving hot flashes.
Topics: Adult; Autonomic Nervous System; Electrocardiography; Female; Heart; Hot Flashes; Humans; Middle Aged; Perimenopause; Postmenopause; Rest; Severity of Illness Index; Single-Blind Method
PubMed: 28169914
DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000843 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Mar 2022Previous work implicates high pro-inflammatory biomarkers in mood disturbance and low brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in major depression. However, in...
BACKGROUND
Previous work implicates high pro-inflammatory biomarkers in mood disturbance and low brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in major depression. However, in hormonally-sensitive premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), BDNF levels are higher when mood is worse. Perimenopausal depression has not been studied to date. We evaluated whether BDNF and inflammatory cytokines predict mood symptoms across the menstrual cycle in hormonally-sensitive perimenopausal depression symptoms.
METHODS
Data from 49 time points derived from mid-to-late follicular phase [M/L-FP] and peri‑menstrual assessments of 14 perimenopausal women ages 38-52 with ovulatory menstrual cycles 24-35 days long across 1-2 cycles for mood symptoms, BDNF levels, cytokines, gonadal steroids. Depression was assessed with Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); irritability with Kellner Symptom Questionnaire Anger-Hostility subscale (SQ); overall psychological distress with Profile of Mood States (POMS). Mixed models were run on dependent measures of MADRS (primary endpoint) and other mood outcomes (BDI, POMS, SQ) with independent variables of interest (each biomarker, cycle phase), controlling for cycle number and participant.
RESULTS
After FDR adjustment, BDNF levels showed consistent significant positive relationships to MADRS (β=0.00053; p = 0.0028), POMS (β=0.00153; p = 0.0394), SQ (β=0.00053; p = 0.0067), and BDI (β=0.00039; p = 0.0231). Cycle phase did not affect this relationship. No other biomarker consistently predicted affective symptom severity.
LIMITATIONS
Small sample size and large number of comparisons.
CONCLUSION
In women with perimenopausal depression symptoms, BDNF is elevated in association with more severe mood symptomatology, resembling the pattern in hormonally-sensitive PMDD and suggesting a hormonally-sensitive mood disorder biomarker profile distinct from that of major depression.
Topics: Adult; Affect; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Depression; Female; Follicular Phase; Humans; Middle Aged; Perimenopause; Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
PubMed: 34954335
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.12.092