Menstruation doesn't permanently stop for most women until sometime between ages 45 and 55. But menopause symptoms can show up decades earlier, a new study shows.
A study of 4,400 women found that 55.4% of those 30 to 35 experienced moderate to severe symptoms associated with menopause. That percentage jumped to 64.3% for women 36 to 40. Yet, most women don't seek treatment for common issues like hot flashes, insomnia and depression until their 50s.
MORE: The key to happiness? Don't strive for it
The study, conducted by University of Virginia researchers, sought to glean more about perimenopause, the 5-to-10-year transition to menopause, when the ovaries stop releasing eggs and estrogen levels decrease. The researchers used self-reported data from the women and information from the app Flo, which allows users to track menstrual cycles, ovulation and pregnancy.
"Physical and emotional symptoms associated with perimenopause are understudied and often dismissed by physicians,” Jennifer Payne, co-author of the study and a reproductive psychiatrist at UVA Health, said. "This research is important to more fully understand how common these symptoms are, their impact on women and to raise awareness amongst physicians as well as the general public."
Perimenopause symptoms often include hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, reduced libido, bladder issues, difficulty sleeping, concentration issues and brain fog. In the study, those physical symptoms were most common among women 51 and older. But the psychological symptoms like anxiety, depression and irritability often showed up before then, peaking from 41 to 45. They were lowest in those 56 and older.
"We had a significant number of women who are typically thought to be too young for perimenopause tell us that they have high levels of perimenopause-related symptoms," said Liudmila Zhaunova, director of science at Flo. "It's important that we keep doing research to understand better what is happening with these women so that they can get the care they need."
Although symptoms showed up as early as age 30, most women don't seek treatment until decades later. Only 30% of respondents 30 to 45 consulted a doctor about perimenopause, but more than 25% of women 30 to 35 and 40% of those 36 to 40 had confirmed diagnoses of perimenopause. The age group with the highest percentage of perimenopause diagnoses was women 51 to 55.
