Gynecologist carried out 749 interviews to support a study published in "Menopause"
Hot flushes, hot flashes common during menopause, are more intense in obese women, points out an article published in the magazine Menopause Ritual, from the North American Menopause Society, one of the main publications on the topic. The article authored by researcher and gynecologist Sylvio Saccomani, and collaborators, brings the results of his master's thesis, supervised by professor Lucia Costa-Paiva and defended at the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM) at Unicamp. The work aroused interest from the international media and was reported by the news agency Reuters.
The study evaluated the impacts of hot flashes on obese women, whether there was an impact on daily activities such as interruption of work, leisure or sexual activity. “We found that obese women not only have more complaints of hot flashes, but this also worsens their quality of life, influencing work and sexual leisure activities”, says Saccomani. Adipose tissue would act as a thermal insulator and obese women would have more difficulty losing heat, hence the more intense sensation in this group.
The topic is controversial to a certain extent because the hypothesis that obesity “protects” women from some symptoms of menopause is also considered in scientific circles, due to the supposed increase in female hormones in obese women. The thesis is challenged by the results published in the article. “This is yet another study suggesting that the theory of worsening hot flashes in obesity is more prevalent today”, highlights the advisor.
To obtain the data, 749 household interviews were carried out in the Metropolitan Region of Campinas, involving 19 municipalities. The number of houses visited by the interviewers was defined by statistics, taking into account a demographic basis, according to census sectors. It was defined that the number necessary to guarantee the validation of the study would be 749 questionnaires answered by women in the climacteric period, aged between 45 and 60 years. Of this total, 206 were obese and 70% of the total number reported having already felt hot flashes.
“We were able to verify that there is a progression in the intensity of symptoms, according to the variation in BMI. When people are overweight, the complaints are getting worse”, says the author. The group of obese women also had more pronounced urinary problems and vaginal dryness. The intensity of hot flashes interrupted professional and sexual activities much more than in women considered to be of adequate weight.
The questionnaires, highlights Saccomani, were prepared according to the Menopause Assessment Scale (Menopause Rating Scale -MRS) validated by the scientific community. The women, divided by Body Mass Index (BMI), responded about the intensity of hot flashes and other problems associated with the climacteric.
Lucia Costa-Paiva and Saccomani suggest that the study results can be used in the doctor's office. “Doctors need to be alert during menopause and pay attention to this issue of weight, guiding their patients on lifestyle habits to try to reduce not only cardiovascular risk, but also the symptoms of menopause”, comments the advisor.
