Interdepartmental Centre for Sexual Health Protection and Gynaecology and Physiopathology of Human Reproduction, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Menopause. 2012 May;19(5):517-23. doi: 10.1097/gme.0b013e318240fe3d.
Women are more affected than men by many chronic pain conditions, suggesting the effect of sex-related mechanisms in their occurrence. The role of gonadal hormones has been studied but with contrasting results depending on the pain syndrome, reproductive status, and hormone considered. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the pain changes related to the menopausal transition period.
In this observational study, postmenopausal women were asked to evaluate the presence of pain in their life during the premenopausal and postmenopausal periods and its modification with menopause.
One hundred one women were enrolled and completed questionnaires on their sociodemographic status, pain characteristics, and evolution. The most common pain syndromes were headache (38%), osteoarticular pain (31%), and cervical/lumbar pain (21%). Pain was present before menopause in 66 women, ceased with menopause in 17, and started after menopause in 18. Data were used for cluster analysis, which allowed the division of participants into four groups. In the first, all women experienced headaches that disappeared or improved with menopause. The second group included osteoarticular pain; the pain improved in half of these women and remained stable in the other half. The third group had cervical/lumbar pain, which disappeared or improved with menopause in all. The fourth group presented different kinds of moderate pain, which worsened in all.
The present study provides preliminary data suggesting that menopause can affect pain depending on the painful condition experienced by the woman. This underlines the different interactions of menopause-related events with body structures involved in pain.
许多慢性疼痛病症对女性的影响甚于男性，这表明与性别相关的机制在其发生中起作用。已经研究了性腺激素的作用，但由于疼痛综合征、生殖状态和所考虑的激素不同，结果存在差异。本研究旨在评估与绝经过渡期间相关的疼痛变化。
在这项观察性研究中，要求绝经后妇女在绝经前和绝经后期间评估其生活中的疼痛存在情况及其随绝经的变化。
共有 101 名妇女入组并完成了关于其社会人口统计学状况、疼痛特征和演变的问卷调查。最常见的疼痛综合征是头痛（38%）、骨关节炎疼痛（31%）和颈/腰痛（21%）。66 名妇女在绝经前存在疼痛，17 名妇女在绝经后疼痛消失，18 名妇女在绝经后疼痛开始。数据用于聚类分析，该分析将参与者分为四组。在第一组中，所有妇女都经历了头痛，这些头痛在绝经后消失或改善。第二组包括骨关节炎疼痛；其中一半妇女的疼痛有所改善，另一半则保持稳定。第三组有颈/腰痛，这些疼痛在绝经后消失或改善。第四组表现出不同类型的中度疼痛，所有妇女的疼痛均恶化。
本研究提供了初步数据，表明绝经可以根据妇女经历的疼痛状况影响疼痛。这强调了与绝经相关的事件与参与疼痛的身体结构之间的不同相互作用。
