Study: Menopause symptoms linger in women longer than previously thought

Researchers have determined that women experience menopause symptoms for a median of 7.4 years, much longer than doctors thought.

About 80 percent of women have menopausal vasomotor symptoms (VMS), including hot flashes and night sweats, Time reports. Researchers looked at data from roughly 1,500 women, and found variations in VMS between ethnic groups: African-American women experience symptoms for the longest amount of time, a median of 10.1 years, while Japanese women had symptoms for 4.8 years.

The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, also found that women who started having hot flashes and night sweats at an earlier age tended to have them last longer, as did women with less education and higher stress levels. In commentary attached to the study, the researchers wrote that these findings go against the notion that these experiences "minimally affect women's health or quality of life and can be readily addressed by short-term approaches."

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