Exploring the Relationship Between Pre-existing Health Conditions and Menopause

For women who enter into menopause with a pre-existing health condition, there are new challenges to consider when navigating this significant life stage. Health conditions such as osteoporosis, heart problems, diabetes, and more can all contribute to different menopause complications, with some conditions either exacerbating menopause symptoms further or creating restrictions around how these symptoms can be treated. We’re evaluating a range of pre-existing health conditions and their relationship to menopause, giving you the information you need to build your understanding of these common interplays.

Why can pre-existing conditions make menopause more difficult?

Our health experiences are unique to each of us, and all kinds of factors (including genetic and lifestyle) impact our overall health and well-being. These nuances don’t stop during menopause. In fact, they can become even more noticeable, with your individual health history having a direct and noticeable influence on the likelihood of certain menopause challenges becoming more prevalent throughout your years of menopausal transition. 

As menopause causes increasing fluctuations to our hormones, the normal regulatory mechanisms our bodies rely on are under ongoing pressure. For those who are managing the impact of a pre-existing health condition, this can mean a new approach is needed to how an acute or chronic health condition is treated and controlled.

While the specific impacts of different pre-existing conditions are varied, any known health conditions mean it’s time to work closely with your medical team to build strategic pathways forward as your menopause experience continues.

You deserve expert care throughout every stage of your menopause journey. Find sophisticated support and treatment plans at the Australian Menopause Centre.

How individual pre-existing conditions may interact with menopause

When you have an understanding of what you may experience, it can become a much clearer pathway forward to finding the support you need to protect your ongoing health and wellbeing.

Here’s how menopause may interact with a range of pre-existing health conditions.

Menopause and endometriosis

We’re starting off with some good news: For women who’ve suffered from endometriosis throughout their fertile years, menopause can offer a silver lining. The end of regular periods can bring relief from the symptoms of endometriosis, helping to resolve this chronic and debilitating health concern. 

Once a woman reaches menopause, her body stops producing endometrium, which is the tissue that can grow outside of the uterus, causing pain, irritation, and inflammation. The end of this growth means that the spread of endometrium also stops. However, if you’ve experienced endometriosis over many years, scarring will likely still be present.

Menopause and PCOS

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormone problem for women in their fertile years, causing problems with ovulation, increasing levels of androgens, and potentially creating small cysts on the ovaries. This can result in missed or irregular periods, as well as excessive hair growth, acne challenges, infertility, and problems in managing weight gain. 

PCOS can also increase the risk of developing other long-term health risks, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and sleep apnoea – it’s not at the top of anyone’s preference list.

If you’re entering into menopause with PCOS, this may be happening around 2-4 years later than your friends who don’t have PCOS, thanks to the varying levels of sex hormones PCOS brings with it. Given the risk of symptoms from both PCOS and menopause overlapping throughout this period, it’s important to work closely with a dedicated healthcare team to find the treatment support you need to navigate these complications. 

It’s not all bad news, however: as menopause continues, lower hormone levels may reduce your ongoing symptoms, thanks to more evenly balanced hormones.

Menopause and diabetes

While perimenopause and menopause don’t cause diabetes, the hormonal changes they bring with them can increase type 2 diabetes risk factors. The complications of carrying additional weight and higher blood pressure means women need to pay even closer attention to their risk profile during this time.

For women who enter into menopause with a pre-existing diabetic condition, it’s crucial to focus on the lifestyle factors that can minimise the impact diabetes has. As oestrogen levels fall, our bodies are less responsive to insulin. Oestrogen has also helped to keep our heart protected through its dilation of the blood vessels, meaning higher blood pressure and increased cholesterol levels can be a challenging side effect of menopause for diabetic and non-diabetic women alike.

By checking blood sugar levels more often and keeping a close eye on symptoms, diabetes can be managed throughout menopause. This process requires the close monitoring of your trusted healthcare team, making sure any necessary treatment adjustments are in place. 

Menopause and pre-existing mental health issues

For women who have pre-existing mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression, menopause can be a particularly challenging time. Declining hormone production can increase mood swings and emotional changes, and menopause’s physical changes can also reduce individual senses of wellbeing. Even without a pre-existing condition, many women experience mental health issues throughout menopause as a result of considerate physical, mental, and emotional changes. 

It’s important to pay close attention to your mental health throughout menopause. With a range of treatment options available, there’s no need to suffer in silence. Personalised management and support can give you the support you need to navigate menopause with the best possible quality of mental health. 

Conclusion

Alongside the challenges menopause brings, women with pre-existing health conditions can find themselves navigating a complex and layered set of health concerns during this significant life period. It’s important to understand how your individual health history and status may create additional complexities throughout menopause so you can focus on proactively managing your symptoms and individual health needs.

With so many different treatment pathways and supporting resources available, finding a dedicated team who can help you manage your well-being is the first priority on your menopause to-do list. Find the expert care and coordinated treatments you deserve at the Australian Menopause Centre – there’s no case too complex for our passionate and experienced team.