Rural Women May Have Higher Burden of Menopause Symptoms
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Jan. 7, 2025 -- Women living in rural areas may experience a greater burden of psychological and somatic menopause symptoms, according to a study published in the January issue of Menopause.
Erin R. Dwyer, from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, and colleagues compared menopause experience in rural-, suburban-, and urban-residing women. The analysis included online survey responses from 1,531 participants.
The researchers found that rural residents had more prevalent symptoms in late menopause transition, including muscle aches and pains (urban, 49 percent; suburban, 49 percent; rural, 65 percent) and panic attacks (urban, 18 percent; suburban, 24 percent; rural, 30 percent). Rural residents also had more prevalent symptoms in postmenopause, including: mood swings (urban, 18 percent; suburban, 14 percent; rural, 23 percent), urinary incontinence (urban, 19 percent; suburban, 14 percent; rural, 23 percent), and vaginal dryness (urban, 22 percent; suburban, 29 percent; rural, 37 percent). Overall, vasomotor symptom prevalence was high (71 percent late menopause transition, 20 percent postmenopause), while current menopause hormone therapy use was low (11 percent late menopause transition, 11 percent postmenopause) and did not differ by residence.
"Overall low rates of menopause hormone therapy use suggest a need for education regarding hormone therapy, tailored to residential groups who rely on different resources on healthy aging," the authors write.
Two authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted January 2025
Read this next
CRC as First of Multiple Primary Malignancies Tied to Better Outcomes Than CRC as Only Malignancy
THURSDAY, June 26, 2025 -- Compared with colorectal cancer (CRC) presenting as an isolated primary or second primary malignancy, CRC presenting as the first of multiple primary...
Moderate-to-Severe Asthma Up for Female Permanent Night Shift Workers
THURSDAY, June 26, 2025 -- Female permanent night shift workers have higher odds of moderate-to-severe asthma than female day workers, but this relationship is not seen in men...
Two-Hour Observation Probably Safe for Most Children With Anaphylaxis
THURSDAY, June 26, 2025 -- For most children who present to an emergency department with an acute allergic reaction requiring epinephrine, a two-hour observation period is...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.