Charlton, Rebecca A; Happé, Francesca; Shand, Alanna J; Mandy, William and Stewart, Gavin R.. 2025. Self-reported psychological, somatic and vasomotor symptoms at different stages of the menopause for autistic and non-autistic people. Journal of Women's Health, ISSN 1540-9996 [Article] (In Press)

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Abstract or Description

Background: There is growing awareness that the experiences of neurodivergent people during menopause are not well understood. Menopause may be particularly challenging for autistic people due to common co-occurring conditions such as depression and differences in sensory processing. The few (mostly qualitative) studies to explore autism and menopause suggest that autistic traits may be exacerbated.

Methods: In an online cross-sectional survey, we examined self-reported menopause symptoms of 342 people (autistic, n=242 and non-autistic, n=100) at different stages of their reproductive life (pre-menopausal (~20% of sample), menopausal (~30%), post-menopausal (~50%)).

Results: Autistic people reported significantly higher rates of bothersome psychological and somatic menopause symptoms than non-autistic people, but no differences were observed for vasomotor symptoms. Results indicated different patterns of psychological, somatic and vasomotor symptoms between the autistic and non-autistic groups. People in the menopause and post-menopause groups reported negative changes in symptoms, but nonautistic women report these as more negative than autistic women. Whether this finding is related to the observation that autistic people report more bothersome psychological and somatic symptoms before the menopause, requires further investigation.

Conclusion: This cross-sectional analysis suggests that autistic people may experience more bothersome symptoms during the menopause compared to non-autistic people. Longitudinal studies examining change are required to fully understand the variables that impact individual experiences for autistic people.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	“This is the accepted version of the following article: Self-reported psychological, somatic and vasomotor symptoms at different stages of the menopause for autistic and non-autistic people. This original submission version of the article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers’ self-archiving terms and conditions.”
Keywords:	Autism; Menopause; Psychological symptoms; Somatic symptoms; Vasomotor symptoms; Self-report
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Psychology
Dates:	Date Event 9 January 2025 Accepted
Item ID:	38086
Date Deposited:	10 Jan 2025 10:17
Last Modified:	10 Jan 2025 15:47
Peer Reviewed:	Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/38086

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