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A CLOSER LOOK AT MENOPAUSE AND VMS

The menopausal transition can bring a constellation of unfamiliar and unsettling symptoms.1 During the menopausal transition, many women experience sleep disturbances, changes in mood and cognitive performance, migraine, and vasomotor symptoms (VMS), also known as hot flushes and night sweats. They may also undergo physical changes, which can continue long into postmenopause, including changes in body shape, osteoporosis, increased risk of cardiovascular events, ageing of hair and skin, and vulvovaginal atrophy.1

 

Vasomotor symptoms are one of the most commonly reported symptoms of the menopausal transition. Up to 80% of women will experience VMS during the menopausal transition.2

 

VMS arise from heightened neuronal activity of neurons known as KNDy neurons present in the hypothalamus. These neurons have been identified to modulate temperature regulation. The increased activation leads to hypertrophy of the KNDy neurons and altered activity on the thermoregulatory centre. The resulting VMS include the uncomfortable feeling of heat and sweating, which can disrupt women’s daily lives.1-5

Burden of VMS | KnowVMS

The hypothalamus & VMS

The hypothalamus & VMS

References:

  1. Monteleone P, Mascagni G, Giannini A, et al. Symptoms of menopause - global prevalence, physiology and implications. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2018;14(4):199-215.
  2. Thurston RC. Vasomotor symptoms. In: Crandall CJ, Bachman GA, Faubion SS, et al., eds. Menopause Practice: A Clinician’s Guide. 6th ed. Pepper Pike, OH: The North American Menopause Society, 2019;43-55.
  3. Padilla SL, Johnson CW, Barker FD, et al. A neural circuit underlying the generation of hot flushes. Cell Rep 2018;24(2):271-277.
  4. Krajewski-Hall SJ, Blackmore EM, McMinn JR, Rance NE. Estradiol alters body temperature regulation in the female mouse. Temperature 2018;5(1):56-69.
  5. Krajewski-Hall SJ, Miranda Dos Santos F, McMullen NT, et al. Glutamatergic neurokinin 3 receptor neurons in the median preoptic nucleus modulate heat-defense pathways in female mice. Endocrinology 2019;160(4):803-816.

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