Mindfulness, Stress Linked to Menopausal Symptoms

FRIDAY, Jan. 18, 2019 — Higher mindfulness and lower stress are independently associated with lower menopausal symptom scores among midlife women, according to a study published online Jan. 17 in Climacteric.

Richa Sood, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study involving women aged 40 to 65 years who completed questionnaires, including the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), the Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4), and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). The authors examined the impact of mindfulness and stress on menopausal symptoms in a cohort of 1,744 women.

The researchers observed independent correlations for higher mindfulness (MAAS) and lower stress (PSS-4) scores with lower menopausal symptom (MRS) scores. There was a significant interaction effect between the MAAS and PSS-4 on the MRS in multivariable analysis. With higher PSS-4 scores came a larger magnitude of association between the MAAS and lower MRS scores.

“This study showed a positive correlation between higher mindfulness and lower menopausal symptom scores in symptomatic midlife women, and this correlation was more robust in women experiencing higher stress,” the authors write. “Although additional studies are needed, training in mindfulness may be a promising option for menopausal symptom management in midlife women.”

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Posted: January 2019

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