Psychological symptoms in perimenopause and early menopause are common. The impact of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) on menopausal mood symptoms is unclear.

To assess the impact of 17β-oestradiol ± micronised progesterone or the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device, and/or transdermal testosterone, on depressive and anxiety symptoms in peri- and postmenopausal women.

A real-world retrospective cohort study set in the largest specialist menopause clinic in the UK. The Meno-D questionnaire measured mood-related symptoms.

The study included 920 women: 448 (48.7%) perimenopausal, and 435 (47.3%) postmenopausal. Following initiation/optimisation of MHT, mean Meno-D scores decreased by 44.59% (95% CI −46.83% to −42.34%, P < 0.001) after average 107 days follow-up. Mood symptoms significantly improved (P < 0.01 per symptom). Improvement occurred in peri- and postmenopausal women. All MHT regimens improved mental health including both progestogen types (body-identical progesterone and levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device), MHT initiation strategy (oestradiol ± a progestogen versus oestradiol ± a progestogen and testosterone, 45.38 v. 48.53%, respectively, P = 0.47) and MHT optimisation strategy (MHT users treated with a higher oestradiol dose versus testosterone added versus both a higher oestradiol dose and testosterone, 34.70, 43.93 and 43.25%, respectively, P = 0.38).

Use of menopausal hormone therapy was associated with significant improvement in mood in peri- and postmenopausal women. Prospective studies and randomised clinical trials are needed to assess the effects of different regimens in different patient populations over longer time periods.

This study aimed to understand primary healthcare providers’ beliefs about barriers and facilitators providing culturally competent midlife care to migrant women.

Primary healthcare is the entry level to the health system. It is usually the first point of contact in accessing the healthcare system and provides a range of services including health promotion and prevention. Migrant women are less likely to access and engage in health screening and health promotion activities and consequently may miss out on optimal health in older age.

A cross-sectional study including two free-text questions, part of an online survey, was thematically analysed. 76 primary healthcare providers answered the free-text questions.

Competing priorities as a result of migration and settlement experiences, the healthcare systems’ limited resources to respond to the needs of migrant population and culturally informed beliefs and behaviour about menopause were viewed as barriers to midlife care for migrant women. Flexible models of primary healthcare and coordinated engagement with community groups were proposed to address these barriers. Primary healthcare providers perceived the current primary healthcare model to be inadequate to address the additional needs of migrant women. A review of the model of care may include ‘task shifting’ where nurses provide advanced care to migrant women in midlife. Perceptions of midlife and menopause are informed by culture. Hence, a culturally informed health promotion programme led by migrant women may be one strategy to address the limited participation in preventative healthcare including health screening at the time around menopause.

This paper advocates for a holistic approach to the menopause transition and challenges the current dominant narrative that frames this transition primarily in biological terms. It examines the psychological, social and cultural dimensions, addresses the stigma faced by older women and advocates for the vital role psychiatrists have to play in supporting postmenopausal women.

The transition into menopause marks a significant stage in a woman’s life, indicating the end of reproductive capability. This period, encompassing perimenopause and menopause, is characterized by declining levels of estrogen and progesterone, leading to various symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep disturbances, sexual dysfunction, and mood irregularities. Moreover, cognitive functions, notably memory, may decline during this phase.

This exploratory study aimed to evaluate psychological factors in a sample of 98 women recruited from a diagnostic-assistance hospital pathway (AOUP).

Psychological variables, including depression, anxiety, stress, sleep quality, memory, personality traits, and mindfulness, were assessed using psychometric questionnaires. Machine learning techniques were employed to identify independent variables strongly correlated with higher levels of depression measured by BDI-II.

The findings revealed positive associations between depression and anxiety, stress, low mood, poor sleep quality, and memory complaints, while mindfulness showed a negative correlation. Remarkably, the machine learning analysis achieved a high classification accuracy in distinguishing between individuals with different levels of depression (low vs high).

These results underscore the importance of addressing psychological factors during menopause and offer valuable insights for future research and the development of targeted clinical interventions aimed at enhancing mental health and quality of life for women during this transitional phase.

Maintaining sexuality is important to the well-being of women, particularly after menopause and benefits of sexual satisfaction in terms of emotional well-being and quality of life have been well demonstrated.

This study aims to assess the sexual health behaviors in Tunisian women during and after menopause and the awareness of Tunisian partners about the role of the quality of their sexuality regarding their physical and psychological wellbeing.

We comprehensively review the scientific literature using Pubmed database to state Tunisian literature regarding sexual behaviors and function in women during and after menopause. Interviews with twenty Tunisian women after menopause about sexual health have been conducted.

Our bibliographic research revealed a poor literature with only two papers responding to our inquiry but among a specific female population investigated after experiencing breast cancer “Female sexuality in premenopausal patients with breast cancer on endocrine therapy and sexuality after breast cancer: cultural specificities of Tunisian population”. Interrogated women reported a poor sexual satisfaction as well as sexual difficulties in the partner or with him. In fact, there is an important wrong understanding of the female anatomy and physiology by both partners, for the female sexual satisfaction. There is also many wrong cultural ideas about menopause and sexuality.

Currently, sexuality in Tunisian women during and after menopause is influenced by ageing, by previous sexual function and experiences, the male domination in partner’s sexual practices and the sexual functioning in the partner. In general, there is an unfavorable body image and disturbed sexual health.

No significant relationships.

There has been increasing evidence of hormonal changes during reproductive events that lead to mood changes. However, studies on the severity of psychological problems according to the menopausal stage are limited. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the association between menopausal stages, depression and suicidality.

A total of 45 177 women who underwent regular health check-ups between 2015 and 2018 at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital were included. Participants were stratified into four groups (pre-menopause, early transition, late transition and post-menopause) based on the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop Criteria. The Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CESD) was used to evaluate depressive symptoms, and the degree of depressive symptoms was classified as moderate (CESD score 16–24) or severe (CESD score ⩾ 25). To measure suicide risk, we administered questionnaires related to suicidal ideation.

Overall, the prevalence of CESD scores of 16–24 and ⩾ 25 was 7.6 and 2.8%, respectively. Menopausal stages were positively associated with depressive symptoms in a dose-dependent manner. Multivariable-adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs, 95% confidence intervals) for CESD scores of 16–24 comparing the stages of the early menopausal transition (MT), late MT and post-menopause to pre-menopause was 1.28 (1.16–1.42), 1.21 (1.05–1.38) and 1.58 (1.36–1.84), respectively. The multivariable-adjusted PRs for CESD scores ⩾ 25 comparing the stages of the early MT, late MT and post-menopause to pre-menopause were 1.31 (1.11–1.55), 1.39 (1.12–1.72), 1.86 (1.47–2.37), respectively. In addition, the multivariable-adjusted PRs for suicidal ideation comparing the early MT, late MT and post-menopause stages to the pre-menopause stage were 1.24 (1.12–1.38), 1.07 (0.93–1.24) and 1.46 (1.25–1.70) (p for trend <0.001), respectively.

These findings indicate that the prevalence of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation increases with advancing menopausal stage, even pre-menopause.

Women experience major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) approximately twice as often as men. Estrogen is thought to contribute to sex differences in these disorders, and reduced estrogen is also known to be a key driver of menopause symptoms such as hot flashes. Moreover, estrogen is used to treat menopause symptoms. In order to test for potential shared genetic influences between menopause symptoms and psychiatric disorders, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of estrogen medication use (as a proxy for menopause symptoms) in the UK Biobank.

The analysis included 232 993 women aged 39–71 in the UK Biobank. The outcome variable for genetic analyses was estrogen medication use, excluding women using hormonal contraceptives. Trans-ancestry GWAS meta-analyses were conducted along with genetic correlation analyses on the European ancestry GWAS results. Hormone usage was also tested for association with depression and PTSD.

GWAS of estrogen medication use (compared to non-use) identified a locus in the TACR3 gene, which was previously linked to hot flashes in menopause [top rs77322567, odds ratio (OR) = 0.78, p = 7.7 × 10−15]. Genetic correlation analyses revealed shared genetic influences on menopause symptoms and depression (rg = 0.231, s.e. = 0.055, p = 2.8 × 10−5). Non-genetic analyses revealed higher psychiatric symptoms scores among women using estrogen medications.

These results suggest that menopause symptoms have a complex genetic etiology which is partially shared with genetic influences on depression. Moreover, the TACR3 gene identified here has direct clinical relevance; antagonists for the neurokinin 3 receptor (coded for by TACR3) are effective treatments for hot flashes.