Type 2 diabetes linked to more severe menopause symptoms, study finds

Type 2 diabetes can increase the number of menopause symptoms and their severity, according to the results of a new study published in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society.

“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,” Stephanie Faubion, M.D., medical director for The Menopause Society, said in a news release. Faubion is also a professor and chair of the department of Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.

In the United States, menopause most commonly occurs between ages 45 and 56, with a median age of 51. Hormonal shifts can lead to hot flashes and night sweats, sleep disruption, mood changes, decreased sexual function, and bone loss. By 2030, the number of women worldwide aged between 45 to 55 will reach nearly 500 million.

Midlife women often experience weight gain, increased belly fat and an elevated risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The global prevalence of diabetes was estimated in 2024 at 10%, and that risk continues to increase with age, according to The Menopause Society.

Previous studies have shown a strong reciprocal relationship between menopause and the development of diabetes. But many of these studies have focused on menopause stage, age at menopause, or menopause timing rather than directly assessing menopause symptom burden.

In the study Menopause, researchers wanted to explore the link between Type 2 diabetes and menopausal symptoms. They conducted a cross-sectional observational study involving 296 women in South Korea between the ages of 40 and 64. Data were collected from the enrolled women through a secure online survey from April 2024 to May 2024.

Based on their fasting blood glucose and HbA1c levels, participants were classified into the diabetic group and the nondiabetic group. The Midlife Women’s Symptom Index (MSI) was used to measure menopausal symptoms and various background and health-related characteristics. MSI was developed based on the Cornell Medical Index to assess menopausal symptoms in midlife women and has been validated in diverse populations of midlife women.

Researchers found that women across all stages of menopause in the diabetic group showed a greater number and higher severity of symptoms compared with those in the nondiabetic group. They found that the number and severity of menopausal symptoms were observed primarily during the postmenopausal stage.

“These findings align with those of prior studies, suggesting that the postmenopausal stage is a period of heightened metabolic vulnerability, with postmenopausal women exhibiting a greater risk of T2DM than premenopausal women,” researchers wrote.

Officials with The Menopause Society said these findings suggest the importance of integrating menopause symptom assessment and management into diabetes care for midlife women to improve quality of life.

Researchers suggest future studies examine the relationships between diabetes and menopause symptom progression and other factors such as obesity, physical activity, and psychosocial stress.

A limitation of the study was the focus only on Korean women, which researchers said could limit the generalizability of the findings to other populations. Another limitation was the focus on online questionnaires, which could have introduced selection bias.