"Not feeling like myself" in perimenopause - what does it mean? Observations from the Women Living Better survey.

Objective: This study aimed to understand the meaning of the phrase "not feeling like myself" (NFLM) when used by those on the path to menopause by exploring the relationship of symptoms reported to ratings of NFLM.

Methods: Participants responded to the item "Many women report just not feeling like themselves during this phase of life. How often was this true for you over the past 3 months?" choosing from "none of the time" to "all of the time.

Seeking Health Care for Perimenopausal Symptoms: Observations from The Women Living Better Survey.

The perimenopausal health care interaction can be challenging both for those seeking care and health care professionals (HCPs). We explore the factors that contribute to making these health care interactions either satisfying or unsatisfying for a midlife person with ovaries who consults an HCP about bothersome symptoms. Respondents to the Women Living Better (WLB) survey were asked about 61 symptoms often associated with the menopausal transition.

Symptom experience during the late reproductive stage versus the menopausal transition in the Spanish-language Women Living Better survey.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to characterize and compare the symptoms women self-report during the late reproductive stage and the menopausal transition.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis used data from the Spanish-language Women Living Better survey. Women aged 35 to 55 years completed an 82-item online survey to assess menstrual cycle patterns, changes, and 61 symptoms sometimes associated with menopause.

Effects of bothersome symptoms during the late reproductive stage and menopausal transition: observations from the Women Living Better Survey.

Objective: Bothersome symptoms during the late reproductive stage and menopausal transition sometimes interfere with women's activities of daily living and relationships, yet little is known about the specific effects of different groups of symptoms. Aims of these analyses were to examine the effects of bother related to 5 symptom groups on participant's assessment of 4 outcomes: interference with everyday activities, interference with relationships, "not feeling like myself," and self-ratings of health.

Methods: Participants (N = 1,539 meeting eligibility and inclusion criteria) aged 35 to 60 years responded to the online Women Living Better Survey during March to August of 2020.

Perimenopause meets life: observations from the Women Living Better Survey.

Objective: The purpose of these analyses was to test a predictive quantitative model relating personal characteristics, reproductive aging stages, health behaviors, roles, stressors, and satisfaction with life roles to bothersome symptoms experienced during the late reproductive stage and the menopausal transition (MT).

Methods: Participants (N = 2,406) aged 35 to 55 years completed the Women Living Better Survey online between March to August 2020, and 1,529 met the inclusion criteria and provided menstrual cycle data for staging reproductive aging. They were recruited from the Women Living Better newsletter and from other online groups of midlife women.

Symptom experience during the late reproductive stage and the menopausal transition: observations from the Women Living Better survey.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the occurrence of a variety of symptoms, their frequency, bother, burden, and interference in the lives of women in the late reproductive stage (LRS) and compare their experiences to that of women in the menopausal transition (MT) stage.

Methods: Women ages 35 to 55 years responded to an 82-question online survey offered by Women Living Better. Participants reported current menstrual patterns, recent changes and symptom frequency, bother, and interference.

Transitioning to the menopausal transition: a scoping review of research on the late reproductive stage in reproductive aging.

Importance And Objective: In 2001 Staging Reproductive Aging Workshop conferees described the late reproductive stage (LRS) of reproductive aging as preceding the onset of the menopausal transition, yet there has been little attention to this aspect of reproductive aging. The aim of this scoping review was to examine scientific publications characterizing the LRS to map what is known about this stage with particular focus on reproductive endocrine patterns, menstrual cycle changes, and symptoms.

Methods: The initial search strategy included PubMed and CINAHL searches for the phrase LRS and "human.

Alternatives to hormone therapy for hot flashes: many choices but science is lacking.

A 51-year-old postmenopausal third-grade teacher requests help for her hot flashes. She finds them especially troubling as she stands in front of her class and starts sweating. Although one student offers her tissues, others make fun of her--disrupting the class.

Immigration, race/ethnicity, and social and economic factors as predictors of breastfeeding initiation.

Objective: To determine the impact of immigration status as well as race/ethnicity and social and economic factors on breastfeeding initiation.

Design: Cohort.

Setting: Multisite group practice in eastern Massachusetts.