Some PTSD dimensions tied to urinary symptoms, hot flashes for midlife women veterans

Key takeaways:

• Greater PTSD symptoms were tied to urinary and vasomotor symptoms and worse sexual functioning among midlife veterans.
• PTSD dimensions were not associated with vaginal symptoms of menopause.

Aspects of PTSD across several dimensions were associated with menopause-related health in midlife women veterans such as urinary and vasomotor symptoms, vasomotor symptom interference and sexual dysfunction, researchers reported.

“There may be clinical utility in identifying menopause-related health correlates of PTSD’s dimensions, such that these specific PTSD symptoms could then be targeted in screening and intervention efforts in order to improve midlife women’s health,” Jordan L. Thomas, MA, graduate student in the department of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues wrote in Menopause. “Past research has demonstrated differential associations between PTSD dimensions and various health correlates across trauma-exposed populations, including studies in women service members and veterans, highlighting the role of elevated anhedonia and dysphoric arousal symptoms and sexual dysfunction.”

Thomas and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional survey with 208 postmenopausal women veterans (mean age, 56 years) aged 45 to 64 years. Researchers evaluated associations between PTSD and common menopause-related health concerns such as vasomotor, urinary and vaginal symptoms, vasomotor symptoms interference and sexual functioning. PTSD was evaluated as a probable diagnosis and as symptom dimensions of the best-fitting model. Using confirmatory factor analysis, researchers fit five structural PTSD symptom models, evaluating fit based on recommended cutoffs.

Overall, 26% of participants reported symptoms consistent with probable PTSD.

Recent menopause symptom experience was common, with 64.9% reporting urinary symptoms, 65.9% reporting vaginal symptoms and 57.2% reporting vasomotor symptoms. In addition, 76.9% reported low sexual desire and 16.8% reported currently using hormone therapy.

Researchers identified the six-factor anhedonia model as the optimal representation for this study. This model included PTSD dimensions such as reexperiencing, avoidance, negative affect, anhedonia, anxious arousal and dysphoric arousal.

Greater PTSD symptoms across all dimensions were associated with urinary symptoms, with correlations ranging from 0.28 to 0.42. In particular, negative affect and dysphoric arousal had the strongest correlations with urinary symptoms.

For vasomotor symptoms, greater PTSD symptoms across all dimensions were associated with vasomotor symptoms, with correlations ranging from 0.24 to 0.38, and vasomotor symptom interference, with correlations ranging from 0.22 to 0.42. Dysphoric arousal was most strongly associated with vasomotor symptom interference.

Researchers observed no associations between probable PTSD and greater symptoms across all dimensions and vaginal symptoms.

Greater PTSD symptoms across all dimensions were associated with worse sexual functioning. Anhedonia was most strongly associated with low sexual desire while negative affect had the weakest association.

“Although negative affect and dysphoric arousal were particularly related to urinary and vasomotor symptoms, limited dimensional distinctions emerged for sexual functioning,” the researchers wrote. “Clinically targeting these PTSD dimensions could alleviate associated menopause-related health concerns, thereby improving midlife women’s health.”