The impacts of environmental heat on menopausal symptoms: A global scoping review

The warming global climate is increasing heat exposures. Women undergoing menopause experience thermoregulatory and other changes; however, there is a lack of evidence to determine if menopausal women are disproportionately affected by extreme hot weather. A scoping review was conducted to describe the evidence for heat risks to health and wellbeing in menopausal women. The databases Medline, Embase, Global Health, and Scopus were searched for studies that investigated the relationship between heat and health and wellbeing outcomes in perimenopausal and menopausal populations globally. 17 studies met the inclusion criteria; most studies (n = 14) examined heat effects on vasomotor symptoms. Thermophysiological studies showed no consistent association between heat and vasomotor factors. The epidemiological evidence indicates that heat does not exacerbate symptoms. Four studies addressed sleep and mental health outcomes, with evidence suggesting that cooler environments reduce symptoms and may aid sleep. Research was mostly from high-income settings. Current evidence does not indicate that menopausal women are at higher risk of heat-related health effects compared with men in the same age group. More research is needed to inform heat guidance for menopausal women.