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A new study by researchers at Bournemouth University has shown that autistic people consistently experience more severe menopausal symptoms than non-autistic people, leading to poorer well-being and quality of life.

The new study, led by Ph.D. student Eunhee Kim, is the largest ever to compare self-reported menopause symptoms between autistic and non-autistic people. Just over 900 participants took part in the study, most of them cisgender women. The researchers monitored their symptoms and well-being over five weeks.

The study was motivated by the need to explore autistic experiences of menopause on a larger scale. "Previous work by my supervisors at Bournemouth University has told us that autistic people can experience menopause at a time of crisis," explained Kim.

"We know that menopause can be challenging for non-autistic people—the symptoms force one in 10 women to leave the workforce. Autistic people can already struggle with memory, planning, managing emotions and sensory sensitivities, and many try hard to fit in and mask their differences while struggling with these things, so menopause could worsen things that are already difficult for them."

The findings revealed stark health inequalities. Not only did autistic people show more severe menopausal symptoms than non-autistic people across several weeks of the study, but they also had greater anxiety and depression and lower quality of life—all of which were linked to the severity of their menopause symptoms.

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