Hormones, mood, sexuality, and the menopausal transition

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent of changes in women's sexual functioning and well-being during the menopausal transition and the relationship to hormonal changes. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Population-based sample assessed at home. PATIENT(S): 438 Australian-born women 45-55 of years who were still menstruating at baseline. Of these, 226 were studied for effects of hormones on sexual functioning. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Short Personal Experiences Questionnaire (SPEQ) and Affectometer 2 scores and annual blood sampling. RESULT(S): From the early to late menopausal transition, the percentage of women with SPEQ scores indicating sexual dysfunction increased from 42% t..