Type 2 Diabetes Linked to Worse Menopausal Symptoms

FRIDAY, Aug. 7, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is significantly associated with the number and severity of menopausal symptoms among midlife women, according to a study published online Aug. 4 in Menopause.

You Lee Yang, Ph.D., R.N., from Eulji University in Seongnam-si, South Korea, and colleagues examined the association between T2DM and the number and severity of menopausal symptoms among midlife women. The analysis included 296 women aged 40 to 64 years.

The researchers found that women with T2DM showed a significantly greater number and higher severity of menopausal symptoms versus those without diabetes. There were significant differences observed in both the number and severity of menopausal symptoms during the postmenopausal stage, but there were no differences seen in the premenopausal and perimenopausal stages. T2DM remained significantly associated with both the number and the severity of menopausal symptoms when controlling for confounding variables.

“This study demonstrates that women with diabetes may experience a greater burden of menopause symptoms. Prior research has also shown that cardiovascular risk factors, including diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, are associated with more frequent vasomotor symptoms, and women with a higher vasomotor symptom burden tend to have a less favorable cardiometabolic risk profile,” Stephanie Faubion, M.D., medical director for The Menopause Society, said in a statement. “Together, these findings not only highlight the need to recognize and address menopause symptoms in women with diabetes but also underscore the menopause transition as an important opportunity to identify and manage cardiovascular risk factors in all women.”

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