Menopausal status at the age of 46: Its association with depressive and anxiety symptoms and morbidity in women-A northern Finland birth cohort 1966 study.

Authors

Tiia Saarinen, Susanna M Savukoski, Paula Pesonen, Jouko Miettunen, Maarit Niinimäki

Published in

Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica. Sep 17, 2026. Epub Sep 17, 2026.

Abstract

The incidence of several morbidities increases during the menopausal transition. However, studies of the association between early-onset menopause and psychiatric symptoms and morbidity are scarce. We aimed to investigate how climacteric status at age 46 was associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms.
This prospective cohort study included 2632 female participants from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 who participated in the 46-year follow-up. Among these, 356 participants (13%) were classified as climacteric. Data regarding the participants' backgrounds as well as anxiety and depressive symptoms (measured by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 and the Beck Depression Inventory) were analyzed. Information on psychiatric medication purchases was retrieved from a national registry. The association between climacteric status at age 46 and the presence of psychiatric symptoms or medication purchases was evaluated using binary logistic regression.
Climacteric women exhibited a higher prevalence of significant anxiety symptoms compared with preclimacteric women (22.6% vs. 16.0%, p = 0.002) with an odds ratio of 1.53 (95% confidence interval: 1.16-2.02), as measured by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 questionnaire. This association remained statistically significant after adjusting for smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, and education (odds ratio 1.44; 95% confidence interval: 1.04-2.00). The climacteric women also reported depression symptoms more frequently than the preclimacteric women (30.1% vs. 24.6%, p = 0.032), and the association persisted after adjustment for covariates (odds ratio 1.39; 95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.85). The Beck Depression Inventory-21 indicated higher rates of depression among climacteric women (17.7% vs. 13.6%, p = 0.046); however, no independent association was observed following adjustment. Purchases of antidepressants (48% vs. 41%, p = 0.012) and benzodiazepine derivatives (18.3% vs. 13.3%, p = 0.012) between the ages 40 and 57 were more frequent among climacteric women aged 40-57, yet no independent association was identified between advanced climacteric status and medication purchases in the multivariate model.
Advanced menopausal status at age 46 was linked to a higher risk of anxiety and depressive symptoms. It is crucial to support the mental health and well-being of women during and after menopause, especially for those experiencing early-onset menopause.

PMID:
42750438
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 17 Sep 2026.

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