Menopause and diabetes are interlinked, finds study. One worsens the other

These findings are based on an observational study conducted by The Menopause Society involving 296 women aged 40 to 64.

Such research is significant because the hormonal changes that accompany menopause make women vulnerable to weight gain, insulin resistance, and a higher risk of diabetes | Representative Image

New Delhi: Type 2 diabetes exacerbates the symptoms of menopause in middle aged women, found a new South Korean study published in The Menopause Society, on 5 August.

“This study demonstrates that women with diabetes may experience a greater burden of menopause symptoms. Prior research has also shown that cardiovascular risk factors, including diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, are associated with more frequent vasomotor (actions that widen or narrow the muscle walls and diameter of blood vessels) symptoms, and women with a higher vasomotor symptom burden tend to have a less favorable cardiometabolic risk profile,” said Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society in a press release.

These findings are based on an observational study involving 296 women aged 40 to 64 in South Korea. Based on their glucose levels they were classified into two groups — diabetic and non-diabetic. Researchers found that women in the diabetic groups faced many more menopausal symptoms in a far more severe manner.

Such research is significant because all women experience menopause and the accompanying hormonal changes make them vulnerable to weight gain, increased abdominal fat, greater insulin resistance, and a higher risk of diabetes.

Diabetes and menopause

In the case of women, diabetes and menopause can hardly be looked at as two different conditions. The two are interlinked in a way that menopause increases diabetes risk and diabetes worsens menopause symptoms.

“Together, these findings not only highlight the need to recognize and address menopause symptoms in women with diabetes but also underscore the menopause transition as an important opportunity to identify and manage cardiovascular risk factors in all women,” Faubion said.

However, researchers highlighted that the study was limited to midlife women from South Korea and other populations might not reveal similar patterns.

“Future longitudinal studies should further examine the temporal relationships between T2DM (Type 2 diabetes) and menopause symptom progression, as well as the potential mediating factors, including obesity, physical activity, and psychosocial stress,” read the study.