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Our Perimenopause Research

The WLB community informs our perimenopause research.
You have shared your experiences with us, things like, “I feel like I can’t calm down on the inside” and “I feel like I’m in a constant state of fight or flight.” You shared both common perimenopause experiences and also other less commonly recognized changes. Your input expanded our view of the lived experience of this phase and we incorporated this into our perimenopause research via the 2020 WLB survey.
Over 3,200 people completed the survey which amounts to a considerable amount of data for us to analyze. We’re using these data to fill the perimenopause research gap looking at the experience both before and after noticeable changes to cycles.

The LRS research team: Dr. Nancy Woods, Dr. Marcie Richardson, and Nina Coslov.

Review published papers and posters presented at conferences.

Published Research

Explore community insights from what you’ve shared.

Community Insights

Share your experiences in some of our ongoing polls.

Active Polls

Read up on all the symptoms reported in the WLB survey.

Survey Findings
HIGHLIGHTED RESEARCH PAPERS
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Seeking Health Care for Perimenopausal Symptoms: Observations from The Women Living Better Survey
Richardson MK, Coslov N, Woods NF. Seeking Health Care for Perimenopausal Symptoms: Observations from The Women Living Better Survey. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2023 Apr;32(4):434-444. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2022.0230. Epub 2023 Jan 12. PMID: 36656145; PMCID: PMC10079240.
This paper explores the factors that contribute to making perimenopausal health care interactions either satisfying or unsatisfying for the patient. We analyzed responses to an open-ended question about how a healthcare interaction for a bothersome symptom went. Our analysis revealed themes that led to either satisfying or unsatisfying interactions which in turn present opportunities for improved care.

It was published online ahead of print on January 12, 2023 and in the April 2023 issue of The Journal of Women’s Health.

Open access: made possible by generous contributions by the Women Living Better Community

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Symptom Experience during the Late Reproductive Stage and the Menopausal Transition: Observations from the Women Living Better Survey
Coslov, Nina MBA; Richardson, Marcie K. MD, FACOG; Woods, Nancy Fugate PhD, RN, FAAN. Symptom experience during the late reproductive stage and the menopausal transition: observations from the Women Living Better survey, Menopause: September 2021 – Volume 28 – Issue 9 – p 1012-1025. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001805
This paper shares data from the 2020 Women Living Better Survey. This is among the few studies that have analyzed the symptom experience during the Late Reproductive Stage (LRS), while periods are still coming monthly, but with subtle changes to the length of cycle, amount of flow or days of flow and compared it with the Menopause Transition (MT), when cycles have become noticeably irregular.

It was published in the September 2021 issue of Menopause, the Journal of the North American Menopause Society. Through support from a GoFundMe campaign, it was made open access on October 28, 2021.

Open Access.

All published research
SAMPLE POSTERS

The WLB team has presented these posters on perimenopause research at various conferences.

Seeking Healthcare for Perimenopausal Symptoms: Findings from the Women Living Better Survey
By Marcie Richardson, Nina Coslov, Nancy Fugate Woods; Presented at The North American Menopause Society, September 2021, Washington, DC
This poster shares data from a qualitative analysis of survey respondents’ responses when asked about how interactions with healthcare providers for bothersome perimenopausal symptoms went. There are important implications for behavioral changes for both patients and providers for improved interactions.
Perimenopause Meets Life: Observations from the Women Living Better Survey
By Nancy Fugate Woods, Nina Coslov, Marcie Richardson; Presented at The North American Menopause Society, September 2021, Washington, DC
This poster shares an analysis about the association of different variables (i.e. educational attainment, stage of menopause transition, health behaviors, roles and relationships, overall stress, stress associated with roles and relationships) with symptom bother on the path to menopause.
Poster Prize Winner! Women’s Experience of The Late Reproductive Stage: Findings from the Women Living Better Survey
By Marcie Richardson, Nina Coslov, Ellen Sullivan Mitchell, Nancy Fugate Woods; Presented at The North American Menopause Society, October 2020, Virtual
This poster shares early analysis from the Women Living Better Survey from respondents ages 35-55 about their experience on the path to menopause.

Recognition: NAMS Poster Prize Winner!

All presented posters