Research: The relationship between social support, stress events, and menopause symptoms.

What was the study asking?

How do stress levels affect the frequency and severity of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) (hot flushes, cold sweats, night sweats) in menopausal women?

What did they find?

That it is not the occurrence of stress that exacerbates VMS symptoms but how women respond to and perceive stress.

Those who were upset for an extended period of time vs a shorter time period following a stressful experience had more frequent and severe VMS symptoms.

What is the take-home message?

Stress is an unavoidable part of daily life, however, how we respond to such stress is a significant factor in the severity of VMS symptoms in menopausal women.

Arnot M, Emmott EH, Mace R. The relationship between social support, stress events and menopause symptoms. PLoS One 2021 Jan 27; 16 (1): e0245444.

For more information on stress you may like to read this article.