The Impact of Menopause on the Mental Health of Women With an Intellectual Disability: A Scoping Review.
Stephanie Corrigan, Mary McCarron, Philip McCallion and 1 others
PMID 39871807WHAT IT FOUND
Women with intellectual disabilities and their carers described mood changes around menopause, including anger, anxiety and relief from periods, but psychological symptoms were often missed or blamed on behaviour.
No study could confirm menopause caused them.
Key findings
01Most included studies reported mood swings around menopause, often as grumpiness or anger.
02Psychological symptoms were less likely to be reported than physical symptoms and were often dismissed by carers and healthcare providers.
03Women and carers found it difficult to attribute psychological symptoms directly to menopause, so symptoms could be missed or attributed to other causes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only eight qualitative studies were included, and all were conducted in the United Kingdom. The included studies used small, purposive samples rather than random sampling. No standardised mental health assessments or doctor's diagnoses were used. The included articles were not quality assessed, so the findings need cautious interpretation. Most included articles were published before 2011, except one from 2023, so they may not reflect current living circumstances. The search was limited to English articles.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that menopause causes mental health problems in women with intellectual disabilities. The included studies were qualitative, did not use standardised mental health assessments or doctor's diagnoses, and could not separate menopause from other life events, existing behaviour or lack of awareness.