TUESDAY, Nov. 3, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- A person's thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about menopause may partially explain poorer health outcomes in women with autism during menopause, according to a study published online Oct. 27 in Autism in Adulthood.
Eunhee Kim, from Bournemouth University in the United Kingdom, and colleagues examined whether thoughts, beliefs, and feelings about menopause (menopause representations) are associated with perceived menopause symptom severity, mental health (depressive and anxiety symptoms), and quality of life. The analysis included 476 participants (aged 40 to 60 years) with autism and 425 without.
The researchers found that participants with autism reported more severe menopause symptoms, greater depression and anxiety, and poorer quality of life across all time points over five weeks. Two features of menopause representation -- sense of control and sense of coherence -- were significant predictors of health outcomes over time. The relationships between autism and increased menopause symptoms, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and reduced quality of life were mediated by feeling less in control and having a less coherent understanding of menopause at all time points.
"Autistic people have often told us, 'I thought I was going mad,' or 'I thought I had a disease,' because their menopausal experiences don't resemble what they've read or heard about in other people," coauthor Julie Gamble-Turner, also from Bournemouth University, said in a statement. "Helping people feel less frightened, confused, and out of control -- for instance, by giving them information tailored for autistic people about what to expect during menopause -- means we are better able to help them."
