Unraveling Menopause: Symptom Prevalence and Severity Across the Transition—Insights from the Australian Women’s Midlife Years (AMY) Study

Study Background and Disease Burden

Menopause marks a significant transitional phase in women’s reproductive lifespan, often accompanied by diverse symptoms affecting quality of life. Clinically, the transition from premenopause to perimenopause is traditionally defined by the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop +10 (STRAW+10) criteria, emphasizing altered menstrual cycle frequency. However, this cycle-centric approach presents challenges, especially for women and gender-diverse individuals experiencing oligomenorrhoea or amenorrhoea, where menstrual patterns may be irregular or absent. Moreover, menopause is associated with a broad spectrum of symptoms including vasomotor disturbances, mood changes, cognitive complaints, and sexual dysfunction, complicating the clinical characterization and management of menopause onset.

The burden of menopausal symptoms is significant, impacting daily functioning, mental health, and long-term well-being. Accurate identification of menopausal transition stages is paramount to guiding effective therapeutic interventions and optimizing care pathways. Yet, there remains a gap in robust symptom-based markers that can reliably signal menopausal onset beyond menstrual changes, particularly in populations with irregular menses.