Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) before menopause may be a sign of menopause problems later in life, a new study finds.
Whenever anyone speaks about menopause problems, the first thing that comes to mind is hot flashes. The findings of a new study find that women having PMS before menopause may face problems later in life, which necessarily would not be hot flashes.
Researchers from Helsinki University Central Hospital and Folkhälsan Research Institute conducted a study to look into the association between PMS and worse life quality after menopause.
For the study, 120 healthy postmenopausal women were asked about the premenstrual symptoms they had and about their current health. Researchers noted that none of these women had taken hormones. The participants were also asked to maintain a record of the number of hot flashes they had and the severity of each one of them.
Researchers said that 90 percent of the women recalled having PMS and 40 percent of these participants said that the PMS was moderate or severe. The women also admitted that this syndrome also interfered with their social, home and work life. Despite this, researchers found no association between PMS and the frequency or severity of hot flashes.
However, the women who experienced PMS experienced other problems such as depression, poor sleep, feeling less attractive, and especially with memory and concentration problems after menopause.
"Women who are troubled by PMS can be reassured that it doesn't mean bothersome hot flashes are inevitable later," NAMS Executive Director Margery Gass said in a statement. She also pointed out that further studies needed to be conducted to confirm the link between PMS before menopause and problems other than hot flashes after menopause.
Menopause is the cessation of a woman's reproductive ability and marks the end of monthly periods. During this time, women experience drastic changes in their menstrual periods, which include heavy bleeding.
Common menopause symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbance, concentration, and forgetfulness. Though low levels of vitamin D has been linked to menopause symptoms, a recent study found that there was actually no such link.
The current study was published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
