"A perfect storm": Autistic experiences of menopause and midlife.
Miranda J Brady, Christine A Jenkins, Julie M Gamble-Turner and 3 others
PMID 38622794WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic participants described menopause as a period of intense sensory and emotional overwhelm, often compounded by late autism diagnosis.
They reported feeling dismissed by healthcare providers who lacked understanding of both autism and perimenopause, leading to significant distress and barriers to accessing support.
Key findings
01Participants described an interaction between menopausal symptoms and autistic characteristics, leading to 'autistic overwhelm', stress, and sometimes burnout.
02Two-thirds of participants had a late discovery of their autism, meaning they were unaware they were autistic at the time of menopause, which hindered their ability to understand and cope with symptoms.
03Participants reported feeling ignored, misunderstood, or dismissed by healthcare professionals, who were often ill-equipped to deal with menopause and unfamiliar with autism.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study did not include a control group of non-autistic participants, so it cannot determine if these experiences are unique to autism or common in menopause generally. Participants were recruited online, which may exclude autistic people with intellectual disabilities, non-speaking individuals, or those without internet access. Many participants had late diagnoses or self-identified as autistic, so the link between specific experiences and autism is not definitively established. The sample was predominantly White and female, limiting generalizability to other racial and gender identities. Data relies on self-report and recall, which may be subject to bias.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that menopause causes worse outcomes in autistic people compared to non-autistic people. The study lacked a control group, so it describes the experiences of autistic people but does not compare them to others.