WEDNESDAY, May 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Abdominal obesity (AO) is associated with a higher prevalence and greater severity of menopausal symptoms, according to a study published online May 5 in Menopause.
Diya Wang, from the Shantou University Medical College in China, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional analysis involving 1,150 women from visit 6 of the study of Women's Health Across the Nation to compare menopausal symptom networks between women with and without AO, defined as a waist-to-height ratio ≥0.5.
The researchers found that women with AO reported a higher prevalence and greater severity of several symptoms. The AO group had marginally higher network density (0.59; 46 of 78 edges) compared with the non-AO group (0.55; 43 of 78 edges). Significant differences in network structure were seen using the Network Comparison Test, while global strength was comparable. There was a difference observed in core symptoms based on AO status: Forgetfulness, irritability, and night sweats showed the highest centrality in the AO group, while night sweats, palpitations, and depression showed the highest centrality in the non-AO group. The groups also differed in terms of symptom clusters.
"Educating women early about healthy lifestyle interventions to prevent midlife weight gain is key to improving mental and physical well-being during a tumultuous time frame," Monica Christmas, M.D., associate medical director for The Menopause Society, said in a statement.
