Monthly Variation of Hot Flashes, Night Sweats, and Trouble Sleeping: Effect of Season and Proximity to the Final Menstrual Period (FMP) in the SWAN Menstrual Calendar Substudy

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bondarenko I ; Elliott MR ; Harlow SD ; Jackson EA ; Thurston RC
• Description:
  Objective: Although reproductive function is influenced by season, few studies have evaluated seasonal effects on menopausal symptoms. We assessed the impact of season and proximity to the final menstrual period (FMP) on frequency of symptom reporting. Methods: In all, 955 participants in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation recorded whether or not they had experienced menopausal symptoms on a monthly menstrual calendar over a 10-year period. We modeled the log-odds of presence of a given symptom each month using a logistic mixed-effects model, assuming a third-order polynomial before the FMP and a different third-order polynomial after the FMP. We assumed sine and cosine functions for month of the year. Results: Five to 10 years before the FMP, about 20% of women reported hot flashes and night sweats, whereas about 40% reported trouble sleeping. Prevalence rose about 4 years before the FMP with a sharp jump in hot flash (about 60%) and night sweats (about 40%) prevalence coincident with the FMP. Peaks in hot flashes and trouble sleeping were observed in July with troughs in January. The peak and trough in night sweats occurred about 1 month earlier. Odds of hot flashes, night sweats, and trouble sleeping were 66%, 50%, and 24% greater, respectively, at the seasonal peak versus the seasonal minimum. Conclusion: Menopausal symptoms exhibit seasonal variation associated with the summer and winter equinoxes. Seasonal increases in night sweats precede increases in hot flashes. Prospectively recorded monthly symptom data demonstrate that hot flashes and night sweats increase notably coincident with the FMP. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Safety Sleep Urogenital System Women
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Hot Flashes Climatic Factors Menopause Reproductive Effects Reproductive System Seasonal Factors Seasonality Sleep Problems
• ISSN:
  1072-3714
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Alabama ; Michigan ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  5-13
• Volume:
  27
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059321
• Citation:
  Menopause 2020 Jan; 27(1):5-13
• Contact Point Address:
  Siobán D. Harlow, PhD, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights Suite 6610, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029
• Email:
  harlow@umich.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Performing Organization:
  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Menopause: Journal of the North American Menopause Society
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0a79d2458da5372ecd7769f8cd91e6b8924a207f1a86d9de29772d98602642be2fa26ede86536c310d821c01bd76ef3f4a31d3059b6cfb0a261f1df3a82ee4e3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223589/cdc_223589_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 789.68 KB ]