New needs for menopausal women during COVID-19 pandemic. A physician-based investigation

Abstract

It was evaluated whether the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced the manifestation of menopausal symptoms. In a web interview, 143 physicians, experts on the menopause, were asked to rate their perceived prevalence of hot flush, sleep disorder, sexual disturbance, anxiety and depression as 'rare', 'seldom', 'frequent' and 'very frequent' in patients they managed prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to physicians, there was no major change in the prevalence of hot flush, sleep disorder and sexual disturbance but prevalence of anxiety (39-8% vs 75.5%; p < 0.0001) and depressive (35.6% vs 72.0%; p < 0.0001) symptoms increased during COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 pandemic has changed the composite picture of menopausal symptoms, challenging physicians to adjust their therapeutic approach to the new need. Approaches capable to treat vasomotor symptoms but also highly effective on mood disturbance should be preferred. SOMMARIOLo studio ha voluto valutare se le manifestazioni della sintomatologia climaterica fossero cambiate durante la pandemia da COVID-19. Lo studio è stato effettuato durante un webinar su 143 specialisti esperti nel trattamento dei disturbi menopausali. È stato chiesto di definire, in relazione al periodo pre-CO-VID e al periodo pandemico, la prevalenza nelle loro pazienti di vampate di calore, disturbi del sonno, disturbi della sessualità, ansietà e sintomi depressivi, secondo le categorie "rara", "talvolta", "frequente" e "molto frequente". Dai dati emerge che mentre la prevalenza delle vampate di calore, disturbi del sonno e della sessualità non si è modificata, la prevalenza dei disturbi dell'ansia (39-8% vs 75.5%; p < 0.0001) e della depressione (35.6% vs 72.0%; p < 0.0001) è aumentata durante la pandemia. Il cambiamento nella prevalenza dei sintomi menopausali richiede un adattamento terapeutico alle nuove necessità e la scelta di presidi che siano in grado non solo di curare i sintomi vasomotori ma anche di avere un effetto positivo sul tono dell'umore.

Depression among Peri- and Post-Menopausal Women during COVID-19 Pandemic in Chandigarh, North India

“…[ 22 ] This difference can be due to differences in the population characteristics or occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic in this study. The studies conducted after COVID-19 pandemic (after March 2020) have reported the prevalence of depression to range from 35.6% to 56.34%[ 4 23 24 25 ] among the peri-and post-menopausal women, which is similar to this study. This could be attributed to fear of getting affected by COVID-19 infection in these studies.…”

“…have reported the prevalence of depression to be 35.6% among Italian peri- and post-menopausal women during the pandemic period. [ 4 ]…”

Education based on the Trans-Theoretical Model on sexual function of married women in Iran

“…Accumulating evidence suggests that vulvova genital atrophy (VVA) is strongly associated with female sexual dysfunction (FSD) among sexually active postmenopausal women [35,36]. Significant impairment of sexual function was demonstrated in Italian postmenopausal women who were clinically confirmed with signs of VVA through gynecological examination [8].…”