Menopause
Study offers hope to women suffering menopause hot flushes and night sweats
A woman’s insulin levels in midlife are linked to when menopausal hot flushes begin and how long they last, new research suggests.
The study found that higher insulin levels at age 47 predicted younger onsets of hot flushes and night sweats, as well as longer durations of these symptoms.
Researchers drew on data from a US study that followed women from a pre- or perimenopausal baseline over 10 years.
Using metabolic measurements collected from participants at age 47, they tested how metabolic traits at this point related to physiological features of the menopausal transition.
Faria Athar, lead author of the study, said: “Higher insulin at age 47 was also associated with longer durations of hot flushes and cold sweats, and a rise in testosterone levels across the menopausal transition.”
Hot flushes, night sweats and cold sweats, collectively known as vasomotor symptoms, affect around 75 per cent of women during the menopausal transition.
Vasomotor refers to the narrowing and widening of blood vessels, which causes these sudden temperature changes.
These symptoms can appear two years before a woman’s final period and persist for as long as 10 years beyond it.
They do not affect all women equally, with age of onset, severity and duration varying considerably. Prior research shows factors such as race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status play a role.
Nicole Templeman, assistant professor of biology at the University of Victoria, said: “Given that insulin may be elevated in the early stages of metabolic disorders, we decided to investigate whether insulin levels prior to menopause might inform the incidence and severity of menopause symptoms.”
The researchers found that insulin levels and body mass index at 47 were both predictors of vasomotor symptom timing and duration.
The strongest statistical association was between higher insulin or BMI and a younger onset of hot flushes.
The analyses showed insulin may be a stronger predictor of hot flushes when taking other metabolic variables into account, while BMI appeared more closely linked to changes in oestrogen levels.
Athar said: “These findings help us to fill some of the gaps in our understanding of menopause symptoms and why their severity varies for different women.”
A new study will investigate why women’s hearts may be affected differently by type 2 diabetes before and after menopause.
The researchers are among a cohort of leading mid-career scientists to receive a total of almost €6m, about £5.2m, through a partnership between the British Heart Foundation, the Dutch Heart Foundation, the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research and the Lefoulon-Delalande Foundation to support international research collaborations over four years.
The menopause project will be led by Dr Lisa Heather, from the University of Oxford, Dr Miranda Nabben, from Maastricht University and Dr Annie Turkieh, from the Pasteur Institute.
Professor Metin Avkiran is director of international partnerships and special programmes at the British Heart Foundation.
Avkiran said: “We’re delighted to be supporting these ambitious research programmes alongside our European partners, and to welcome CNIC and CIBER-CV to this pioneering partnership,” said
“By joining together, we can make the money donated by BHF’s generous supporters go further to drive more lifesaving research.
“By placing mid-career researchers at the heart of this scheme, we’re backing emerging leaders in cardiovascular science.
“These partnerships are designed to last well beyond the lifetime of the awards and help address the biggest unmet needs in cardiovascular research.”
Before menopause, women are largely protected from diabetic cardiomyopathy, a type of heart muscle damage linked to diabetes, yet after menopause they become more vulnerable than men and more susceptible to heart failure.
Researchers do not yet fully understand why this happens, but believe changing hormone levels after menopause may disrupt cell signals sent out by fat tissue.
This may lead to diabetic cardiomyopathy and trigger damage to the heart.
The study will examine how the hearts and fat tissue of women with type 2 diabetes differ before and after menopause, using animal models, human cells, computer modelling and patient data.
The team says this could lead to a blood test for earlier diagnosis and better treatments for women living with type 2 diabetes.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may offer short-term relief for menopause insomnia and night-time hot flushes, a pilot study suggests.
CBT is a structured, short-term talking treatment that helps people change thoughts and behaviours that can worsen sleep problems.
Researchers found the intervention was linked to meaningful short-term improvements in insomnia severity, hot flush interference, sleep self-efficacy, or confidence around sleep, and depressive symptoms.
The Menopause Society said insomnia affects an estimated 20 to 60 per cent of perimenopausal and postmenopausal women in the US.
Ongoing research is focusing on effective treatments because insomnia can have serious physical and psychological effects.
Dr Monica Christmas, associate medical director for The Menopause Society, said: “Nocturnal hot flushes (night sweats) and sleep disruption can have a significant effect on the quality of life with many women claiming extreme impairment due to symptoms that often start in early perimenopause and last 10 or more years.”
“Sleep disturbances can persist even in those using pharmacological therapy to manage hot flushes.
“The study’s findings highlight the utility of cognitive-behavioural therapy as a standalone treatment for insomnia and hot flushes, offering women an alternative or adjunct to pharmacological treatments.”
Insomnia is defined as disturbed sleep associated with distress or impaired daily functioning and is one of the most common complaints in perimenopause and postmenopause.
It can reduce quality of life and is linked to higher healthcare use and costs, disability, depression and cardiovascular disease.
Hot flushes occur in 60 to 80 per cent of women during the menopause transition and can persist for four to five years on average.
Night-time hot flushes are linked to sleep disruption, and women may respond by napping or spending longer in bed, which can help keep insomnia going.
Previous studies have shown that cognitive behavioural therapy is an effective treatment for insomnia and may also help women cope with hot flushes and other menopause symptoms.
However, few trials have looked at both insomnia and hot flushes together.
Insomnia during and after the menopause transition is complex and can have many causes, including ageing, hormone fluctuation, hot flushes, other sleep disorders, psychiatric and medical conditions and psychosocial stressors.
Because women with acute and sustained insomnia can experience greater negative health effects, effective treatment is important.
The pilot study concluded that CBT was feasible and may be a promising approach for menopause-related insomnia and nocturnal hot flushes, although the benefits appeared to lessen after three months.
Women aged 50 to 80 with menopause symptoms were more likely to report sleep problems than those without in a US national poll.
In a cross-sectional analysis of 1,202 US women, investigators found that 56.4 per cent reported sleep problems overall.
Among women with menopause-related symptoms, 75 per cent reported sleep problems, compared with 49.8 per cent of those without such symptoms.
The findings add to existing evidence that sleep disturbances are common during the menopause transition and may be closely tied to active symptom burden.
The Menopause Society has noted that women with vasomotor symptoms during the menopause transition are more likely to report disrupted sleep, and its 2022 hormone therapy position statement says hormone therapy improves sleep in women with bothersome night sweats and hot flushes that disrupt sleep.
Sleep problems in midlife and older women are clinically important because they may affect quality of life, daytime function, cardiometabolic health and long-term wellbeing.
Reviews of sleep disorders during menopause have identified several possible contributors, including vasomotor symptoms, ovarian hormone changes, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder and obstructive sleep apnoea.
The findings underscore the importance of asking about sleep when evaluating menopause symptoms and, conversely, considering menopause-related symptom burden when women in midlife and older adulthood present with insomnia, fragmented sleep or poor sleep quality.
“Integrating screening and evidence-based interventions for sleep disturbances into menopause management may improve overall health, quality of life, and long-term outcomes,” Joseph R. White, MD, MS, and colleagues wrote in the study abstract.
White and colleagues analysed survey data from Wave 10 of the National Poll on Healthy Aging, a nationally representative household survey of US adults aged 50 years and older conducted from 21 January to 7 February 2022 to assess timely issues related to health, health care and health policy.
Respondents in the current analysis were stratified and weighted to reflect the US Census. Investigators used chi-square testing to evaluate associations between sleep problems and menopause symptoms.
Among the 1,202 respondents, 65 women were premenopausal with no symptoms, accounting for 7.3 per cent of the weighted sample.
Thirty-seven women were perimenopausal with some symptoms, accounting for 3 per cent, 40 were menopausal within the past year with regular symptoms, accounting for 3.3 per cent, and 35 were menopausal within the past year without regular symptoms, also accounting for 3.3 per cent.
Most respondents were postmenopausal.
A total of 243 women were postmenopausal with symptoms, accounting for 20.8 per cent of the weighted sample, and 765 were postmenopausal without symptoms, accounting for 61.2 per cent.
Overall, 677 respondents reported sleep problems. Women with any menopause-related symptoms were significantly more likely to report sleep problems than women without menopause-related symptoms.
The current findings suggest that sleep assessment may be an important component of that individualised approach.
In primary care, screening may include questions about sleep duration, sleep latency, nighttime awakenings, early-morning awakening, daytime impairment, snoring or witnessed apnoeas, restless legs symptoms, mood symptoms, medication use, alcohol use, and the timing and severity of hot flushes or night sweats.
Investigators did not identify which specific menopause symptoms were most strongly associated with sleep problems.
However, earlier research has shown that greater vasomotor symptom severity is associated with more sleep disturbance, greater sleep-related impairment, worse sleep quality, and greater impairment in daytime activities and work productivity.
Limitations of the analysis include the fact that it was cross-sectional, that sleep problems and menopause symptoms were self-reported, and that it does not specify whether respondents had diagnosed sleep disorders or whether other contributors, such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, cardiometabolic disease, or medication use, were assessed.
Still, the large, nationally representative sample provides clinically relevant insight into the overlap between menopause-related symptoms and sleep complaints among US women aged 50 to 80 years.
The authors said the findings support routine sleep screening as part of menopause evaluation and follow-up, particularly among women reporting active symptoms.
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