Study finds child abuse can cause more hot flushes

Many adverse health effects have been badociated with child abuse, including mental illness, cardiovascular disease and premature mortality. A new study suggests that child abuse (which occurred in 44% of the sample population) may also cause more hot flashes, especially during sleep. The results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

Although many studies have been conducted to determine the various adverse health effects of child abuse and neglect, few have fully examined the link between abuse and menopausal transition. Similarly, although hot flashes are the most commonly reported symptom of menopause, there are still many unknowns about the factors badociated with hot flashes.

Among the studies that have linked child maltreatment or neglect and hot flashes, including the study of women's health across the country. country, none has used physiological surveillance to confirm the existence or frequency of symptoms.

This latest study of 295 peri-menopausal and menopausal menopausal women aged 40 to 60 with hot flashes is the first to examine the relationship between child abuse and physiologically-badessed hot flashes. The study provided a number of noteworthy observations, including the fact that the incidence of child abuse is higher than initially expected. Although some previous studies have estimated that at least one in four American women have been abused or neglected as children, 44% of this population sample reported some form of abuse.

Non-white women were more likely to report being abused or neglected, especially physically. Overall, however, psychological abuse was the most frequently reported type of violence. And, in general, women reporting daily hot flashes were younger, less educated and more often non-white than women who did not report these symptoms.

With regard to menopausal symptoms, the study found that child abuse was badociated with hot flashes that were physiologically evaluated more frequently during sleep. Because hot flushes are related to sleep problems and other quality of life issues, this study highlights the importance of clinicians routinely screening for trauma history when considering women's health in the workplace. of life.

The findings were published in the article "Abuse in childhood and vasomotor symptoms in women of middle age".

Sleep disruption is a major problem for many menopausal women. Screening and counseling history of trauma, whether it is a trauma during childhood, violence from an intimate partner or stress trauma, should be part of routine preventative medical care for women mid-life and may be present in women with nocturnal hot flashes. "

Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton, Executive Director of NAMS