Calls for improved support about menstruation changes during perimenopause

Peer reviewed | Survey | People

2023-11-21

(Press-News.org) Perimenopausal women need better education and support about how their periods might change towards the end of their reproductive life, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

The research, published in Post Reproductive Health, highlighted how as women approach the menopause, their periods may become unpredictable, heavy and cause worse premenstrual symptoms – including mood swings, breast tenderness and headaches.

The team of researchers from the UCL EGA Institute of Women’s Health and Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, interviewed 31 perimenopausal women aged between 40 and 55, who lived in the UK.

Almost all of the women spoke of having unpredictable periods that accompanied the perimenopause – including changes in cycle length, period duration and the amount of blood flow. This was the case even if their periods had been regular throughout the rest of their lives.

Most women stated that due to these constant and unpredictable changes, it was challenging to commit to plans, in case they coincided with a period that would leave them unable to cope (either emotionally or physically) outside of their home.

Additionally, many women talked about the increased heaviness of their periods during the perimenopause. This could result in them being caught off-guard and left in embarrassing situations or having lower iron levels, which left them exhausted in ways they had not previously experienced.

Premenstrual symptoms were also described as being more intense and lasting much longer than before. This ranged from new feelings of anxiety, to uncontrollable mood swings, and generally longer periods of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS).

Senior author, Professor Joyce Harper (UCL EGA Institute for Women’s Health), said: “We need to be sure that perimenopausal women understand how their periods might change at this time in their lives and that we need to be supporting perimenopausal women as their periods become unpredictable, heavy, or have worse premenstrual symptoms. All of these factors can affect the working life and mental wellbeing of women going through the perimenopause.”

All of the women interviewed described numerous ways they needed support in managing their periods.

Suggestions included extra support in the workplace, such as working from home to reduce anxiety around unpredictable periods, greater sympathy from managers and colleagues, as well as mandatory managerial training, and more consistent and earlier education in schools.

Many of the women also desired emotional support as they navigated mood swings and other bodily changes – particularly from their husbands, children and friends.

While the women said that having friends or mothers that they could confide in about their experiences was comforting, many also desired additional help from support groups where they could meet people with similar experiences and be reassured that they are not alone.

Experts at UCL, including Professor Harper, have recently announced plans for the UK’s first menopause education and support programme*.

The new programme, which is in partnership with two charities, Wellbeing of Women and Sophia Forum, and with support from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the British Menopause Society, aims to provide education and support for women across the UK experiencing menopause, to help them gain a greater understanding of what is happening to their bodies.

Professor Harper said: “This study offers valuable insight into the impact of periods on the wellbeing of perimenopausal women.

“Most negative menstrual experiences stem from a lack of education about what is and isn’t normal and when to seek medical care. Early, inclusive, and comprehensive menstrual education is vital for everyone, alongside specialised women’s health training for healthcare professionals. Empowering women with knowledge aids self-advocacy and informed treatment choices. We have conducted a similar study in schools with 49 15-year-old girls and they felt they needed more education and support around menstruation.

“Finally, accessible support is essential for each woman’s perimenopause journey. We hope to make this possible for more women through our plans for the UK’s first menopause education programme.”

* https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/aug/plans-uks-first-menopause-education-programme-launched-ucl-academics

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Why emotions stirred by music create such powerful memories

2023-11-20

Key takeaways UCLA psychologists used music to manipulate emotions of volunteers and found the dynamics of their emotions molded otherwise neutral experiences into memorable events. The tug of war between integrating memories and separating them helps to form distinct memories, allowing people to understand and find meaning in their experiences, and retain information. These findings could hold therapeutic promise in helping people with PTSD and depression. Time flows in a continuous stream — yet our ...

Low-quality studies on early interventions for autism dominate the field, says researchers

2023-11-20

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that autism is becoming more common in young children. In an effort to improve the challenges young autistic children face as part of their early development, researchers have focused on developing and evaluating nonpharmaceutical interventions that can be provided in early childhood. Micheal Sandbank, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences at the UNC School of Medicine, is an expert on the research supporting these early interventions, which informs clinical practice across the United States. A new comprehensive meta-analysis, led by Sandbank, shows that many low-quality ...

Study finds possible early predictor of successful transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy for major depression

2023-11-20

A new study from UCLA Health researchers demonstrates that a novel treatment is effective in most patients with major depressive symptoms even after multiple failed courses of antidepressant medication. The treatment, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), may work even more rapidly than past findings have suggested, starting to alleviate symptoms as quickly as one week. Researchers from the Neuromodulation Division of UCLA’s Semel Institute analyzed the outcomes of hundreds of patients treated at UCLA Health from 2009 to 2022 with rTMS therapy, which uses magnetic fields to effectively “rewire” ...

Trend report: High blood pressure increasing in low-income adults; diabetes and obesity on the rise in higher-income adults

2023-11-20

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 20 November 2023 Annals of Internal Medicine Tip Sheet @Annalsofim Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent. ---------------------------- 1. ...

More than 1,100 physicians, health care professionals, and scientists boycott medical journal

2023-11-20

WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 1,100 experts have joined the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in boycotting the medical journal Nutrients until it stops publishing egregious animal experiments that could have been ethically conducted in humans. The boycott, which also applies to Nutrients’ publisher, MDPI, comes after repeated requests to the journal’s editors asking them to institute sound editorial practices. A letter sent to those editors today, Nov. 20, 2023, says “As a community of scientists and health care professionals, we have ...

Urban environmental exposures drive increased breast cancer incidence

2023-11-20

DURHAM, N.C. – A Duke Health analysis of breast cancer in North Carolina showed that the state’s urban counties had higher overall incidences of disease than rural counties, especially at early stages upon diagnosis. The findings, appearing in the journal Scientific Reports, serve as a national template for assessing the impact of poor environmental quality across different stages of breast cancer, which is marked by highly diverse origins and mechanisms for spreading. North Carolina serves as a good model; it has a diverse population ...

C-sections in Mexico increase with obesity level and health care specialization

2023-11-20

URBANA, Ill. — Cesarean section (C-section) procedures have increased dramatically around the world in the recent decades. Overweight and obesity rates, common risk factors for pregnancy outcomes and for C-sections, are also on the rise — creating a major health issue in low- and middle-income countries. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign investigates how high obesity levels lead to hospital specializations that affect the frequency of C-sections in Mexico. “Of course, obesity is a medical factor for C-sections; however, when we started this project we did not believe it to be the ...

New machine learning technique 30% better at predicting cancer cure rates

2023-11-20

With the rapid development in computing power over the past few decades, machine-learning (ML) techniques have become popular in medical settings as a way to predict survival rates and life expectancies among patients diagnosed with diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, and, more recently, COVID-19. Such statistical modeling helps patients and caregivers balance treatment that offers the highest chance of a cure while minimizing the consequences of potential side effects. A professor and his doctoral student at The University of Texas at Arlington have published a new model of predicting survival from ...

Potential therapeutic target found to combat tuberculosis, a disrupted NAD(H) homeostasis

2023-11-20

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – It has been uncertain how Mycobacterium tuberculosis deflects the immune response in humans, though evidence has pointed to host immunometabolism — the intrinsic link between metabolism in immune cells and their immune function. The pathogen M. tuberculosis is known to disrupt a metabolic pathway called glycolysis in infected myeloid cells, which include macrophages, through an unclear mechanism. A more accurate understanding of this pathogenic mechanism could provide a target against the bacterium that caused 1.6 million deaths in 2021, along with 10 million new cases of tuberculosis every year. Now a study published ...

Global Neuroanatomy Network (GNN): Creating a new resource for neuro educators

2023-11-20

In a leap forward for neuroanatomy education, the Global Neuroanatomy Network (GNN) is about to launch, creating a new, accessible, peer-reviewed collection of resources for instructors around the world. Developed as a response to the challenges faced in transitioning neuroanatomy education to an online format during the pandemic, the GNN represents a collaborative effort by educators globally. The initiative began as a conversation on social media, recognizing the need for better resources and support for teaching neuroanatomy online. As educators ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

CMD-OPT model enables the discovery of a potent and selective RIPK2 inhibitor as preclinical candidate for the treatment of acute liver injury

Melatonin receptor 1a alleviates sleep fragmentation-aggravated testicular injury in T2DM by suppression of TAB1/TAK1 complex through FGFR1

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals Shen-Bai-Jie-Du decoction retards colorectal tumorigenesis by regulating the TMEM131–TNF signaling pathway-mediated differentiation of immunosuppressive dendritic ce