Hot flashes are associated with psychological symptoms of anxiety and depression in peri- and post- but not premenopausal women

Objective: To explore the relationship between anxiety, depression, vasomotor symptoms, and menopausal status among middle-aged women. Design: A population-based study involving a rural Taiwanese population. Participants received a structured questionnaire, which included the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), gynecological history and a checklist of menopausal symptoms in the most recent 2 weeks. Results: A total of 1273 women with no history of surgical menopause and hormonal therapy history participated. The mean anxiety, depression, and total HADS scores were 4.3 ± 3.3, 3.3 ± 2.8 and 7.6 ± 5.3, respectively, and did not differ according to menopausal status. A total of 10.5% participants reported hot flashes within the previous 2 weeks. After controlling for educational status and insomnia, anxiety (6.0 ± 3.8 versus 4.1 ± 3.1) and depression scores (4.0 ± 3.3 versus 3.2 ± 2.7) were significantly higher (p < 0.001) compared with those without hot flashes. These differences were attributed to peri- and postmenopausal subjects. Conclusions: Hot flashes in peri- and postmenopausal women were associated with anxious and depressive symptoms in East Asian population with low prevalence of vasomotor symptoms.