Well-being during the menopausal transition and early postmenopause: a within-stage analysis

To identify whether menopausal transition (MT)-related factors--including MT stage, hot flash severity, levels of estrone glucuronide (E1G) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH); number of negative life events; or personal resources of mastery and social support--are associated with stage specific well-being.

Women from the Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study (N=334) provided at least one annual health questionnaire and a menstrual calendar; a subset provided first morning voided urine specimens assayed for E1G and FSH. Descriptive statistics were calculated and Pearson's product-moment correlations were estimated.

Mean levels of well-being were the same across MT stages (4.1, range 1.8-5.9). Physiologic variables were not significantly correlated with well-being: E1G levels (r = - .11 to 0.16), FSH levels (r = - .17 to .20) and hot flash severity (r = - .07 to .05). Significant correlations were observed between well-being and number of negative life events (r = - .48 to - .33, p < or = 0.01), mastery (r = .51-.64, p < or = 0.01), and satisfaction with social support (r = .04 non-significant) to r =.41, (p < or = 0.01).

The association of well-being with life events and personal resources, and not MT-related indicators, hormone levels or vasomotor symptoms, supports work by other researchers. Further study is needed to determine whether patterns of well-being vary across the MT, and if so, what might predict that variability.