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Obesity increases vasomotor symptom severity
Women with obesity may experience more severe vasomotor symptoms at menopause than women with overweight or normal weight, according to findings published in Menopause.
Lucia Costa-Paiva, MD, PhD, of the department of obstetrics and gynecology, faculty of medical science at the State University of Campinas in São Paulo, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional population-based study with 749 women aged 45 to 60 years (mean age, 52.5 years; mean age at menopause, 46.4 years) to determine whether an association exists between vasomotor symptoms and obesity. The menopause rating scale questionnaire was completed by all participants to describe menopausal symptoms and appointed scores for symptom severity. The scale reports on three symptom domains, including somatic, psychological and urogenital.
Participants were divided into three groups based on BMI: less than 25 kg/m2 (n = 288), 25 kg/m2 to 29.9 kg/m2 (n = 255) and 30 kg/m2 or greater (n = 206).
Overall, 16% of women were premenopausal, 16% were perimenopausal and 68% were postmenopausal.
Participants with obesity were less likely to participate in physical activity (P = .019) and were more likely to have hypertension (P < .001), diabetes (P = .002), urinary incontinence (P < .001) and urinary urgency (P = .0006) compared with participants with lower BMI. Hot flash severity increased with increasing BMI and participants with BMI at least 30 kg/m2 had the highest symptom severity scores compared with the other groups (P = .034). Increasing BMI was also associated with increasing scores for joint and muscular pain (P < .0001). Psychological symptom scores did not significantly differ among any of the BMI groups. Participants with normal weight or overweight had fewer urinary problems compared with participants with obesity (P < .0001).
Consequences of hot flashes, such as discontinuation of activities and lower work efficiency, were more severe in participants with obesity compared with those with lower BMI.
“All of these data support the so-called thermoregulatory theory and justify the association between obesity and hot flashes,” the researchers wrote. “Longitudinal studies with prospective and long-term weight monitoring and objective measures of hot flashes are necessary to confirm these hypotheses. In the current study, the findings reinforce the importance of a multidisciplinary approach toward weight control in this age group. Furthermore, the results obtained highlight the need to elaborate health care strategies to minimize the impact of obesity on several health issues in climacteric women.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.