University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Autism. 2022 Aug;26(6):1563-1572. doi: 10.1177/13623613211059721. Epub 2021 Nov 26.
Autism spectrum conditions were once seen as a predominantly male condition, but this has caused research to have little focus on women. Therefore, little is known about menstruation and menopause in autism spectrum conditions. Some smaller studies indicate that autistic individuals might suffer from increased difficulties surrounding these events. This study aimed to investigate whether autistic women experience more frequent premenstrual dysphoric disorder, causing extreme physical, emotional, and functional impairment. In a partly overlapping sample, we also examined whether women with autism spectrum condition experience increased complaints surrounding menopause. We did not find an increased prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder in autism spectrum conditions (14.3%) compared with non-autistic women (9.5%). Those with autism spectrum conditions did experience increased menopausal complaints. These menopausal complaints were associated with higher levels of depression and autistic traits. In non-autistic women, menopausal complaints were associated with increased inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity (i.e. attention deficit hyperactivity disorder traits), and depression. With this work, we show the important role that major reproductive milestones can have in an autistic woman's life.
自闭症谱系障碍曾被视为主要发生在男性身上的病症，但这导致研究很少关注女性。因此，人们对自闭症谱系障碍患者的月经和更年期知之甚少。一些规模较小的研究表明，自闭症患者可能在这些事件周围会遇到更多的困难。本研究旨在调查自闭症女性是否更频繁地患有经前烦躁障碍，从而导致严重的身体、情绪和功能损伤。在一个部分重叠的样本中，我们还研究了自闭症谱系障碍女性是否会经历更多与更年期相关的抱怨。我们没有发现自闭症谱系障碍（14.3%）女性中经前烦躁障碍的患病率增加，而非自闭症女性的患病率为 9.5%。那些患有自闭症谱系障碍的女性确实经历了更多的更年期抱怨。这些更年期抱怨与更高水平的抑郁和自闭症特征有关。在非自闭症女性中，更年期抱怨与注意力不集中、多动/冲动（即注意缺陷多动障碍特征）和抑郁有关。通过这项工作，我们展示了主要生殖里程碑在自闭症女性生活中可能发挥的重要作用。
