"As Menopause Approaches, Thyroid Dysfunction Becomes More Pronounced... Active Management Needed"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] A study has found that hypothyroidism becomes more pronounced as menopause approaches.

A joint research team consisting of Professor Kang Mira from the Health Medicine Division at Samsung Seoul Hospital, Professors Ryu Seung-ho and Jang Yoo-soo from the Data Management Center at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, and researcher Kim Ye-jin analyzed 53,230 women aged 40 and above who underwent health checkups at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital between 2014 and 2018, confirming this fact on the 18th.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as weight gain, fatigue, mood changes, or anxiety, are similar to those of postmenopausal syndrome and can easily be overlooked. However, if hypothyroidism requiring treatment is left untreated for a long time, it can increase the risk of complications such as myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, cerebral infarction, and even death, so caution is necessary.

The research team divided the menopausal transition process into four stages: premenopause (29,444 women), early transition (5,431 women), late transition (4,325 women), and postmenopause (14,030 women). Early transition was defined as repeated occurrences of menstrual cycles differing by 7 days or more, and late transition was defined as a state where menstruation is absent for 60 days or more after the last period. Postmenopause was defined as the absence of menstruation for more than one year.

The study results showed that the prevalence of hypothyroidism significantly increased from the late transition stage before menopause to postmenopause. Compared to the premenopausal stage, subclinical hypothyroidism increased by 1.2 times and overt hypothyroidism by 1.6 times from the late transition stage onward.

Even after accounting for factors such as education level, smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity, age at menarche, and body mass index (BMI), the same trend was observed, indicating that menopause itself acts as a sufficient risk factor, the research team analyzed.

The research team emphasized, “Although the prevalence of hypothyroidism increases from before menopause in menopausal women, it can be easily overlooked and treatment delayed. Therefore, menopausal women need active management through regular thyroid function tests.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.