Experience of menopause in women with inflammatory bowel disease: pilot study

Abstract

Objective: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are debilitating chronic intestinal diseases requiring extensive medical intervention. Little is known how IBD symptoms and treatments affect menopause experience and quality of life. The study’s goal was to investigate the relationship between IBD and menopause.

Method: Women with IBD, between the ages of 30 and 65 years, were recruited from an outpatient IBD clinic. They completed surveys on obstetric, medical, and IBD history and clinical disease activity. Quality of life was assessed using the validated menopause-specific quality of life (MENQOL) questionnaire.

Results: Seventy-one women (47 Crohn’s disease, 22 ulcerative colitis, and two indeterminate colitis, median age 45 years) enrolled into the study. Younger age of IBD diagnosis was correlated with younger age of last menstrual period (r = 0.697). IBD severity affected menopause-related quality of life in three MENQOL domains (psychosocial, physical, and sexual); the fourth domain (vasomotor) did not appear to be affected by the severity of IBD clinical disease.

Conclusion: Women with IBD may experience additional challenges when going through the menopause transition. Our findings support the need for further studies to better inform patients and clinicians on the relationship between IBD and menopause to optimize patient care.

Keywords:

• Menopause
• inflammatory bowel diseases
• ulcerative colitis
• Crohn’s disease
• symptoms
• onset
• MENQOL

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Damion Choi for help with recruitment and initiating data collection into the REDCap database and Dr Maryna Yaskina with assistance in statistical analysis. We thank the physicians of the IBD clinic (Drs Richard Fedorak, Levinus Dieleman, Karen Kroeker, Brendan Halloran, and Karen Wong) and the IBD clinic nurses and clinic staff, for support with patient recruitment. The study was approved by the University of Alberta Health Research Ethics Board (Pro00047290).

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Source of funding

This research has been funded by generous supporters of the Lois Hole Hospital for Women through the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI). Additional funding was provided by a Clinical Research and Progress Grant from the Centre of Excellence in Gastrointestinal and Immunity Research (CEGIIR) of the University of Alberta and a summer studentship award to E.K.D. from WCHRI.