TOPLINE:

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) had a lower likelihood of entering late perimenopause or postmenopause by the age of 46 years and experienced significantly fewer hot flashes and sleep disturbances than those without PCOS.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a population-based prospective cohort study to assess whether women with PCOS reach late perimenopause or postmenopause by their mid-40s and experience fewer menopausal symptoms than those without the syndrome.
• They used data from a Finnish birth cohort and included 380 women with PCOS (age, 46 years; median BMI, 26.7) who met the Rotterdam criteria (the presence of at least two of the following three features: oligomenorrhoea, hyperandrogenism, or anti-Müllerian hormone levels ≥ 3.2 ng/mL) and 1469 control participants without PCOS who did not meet the Rotterdam criteria.
• Late perimenopausal or postmenopausal status was defined as the presence of amenorrhoea for at least 60 days with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels above 25 IU/L. The use of menopausal hormone therapy was considered as an indication of entry into the late perimenopausal/postmenopausal group regardless of other criteria.
• Menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, vaginal dryness, sleep disturbances, affective symptoms, memory disturbances, sexual dysfunction, and muscle or joint pain) were assessed using a self-reported questionnaire, with the frequency rated on a scale from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very often).

TAKEAWAY:

• Women with PCOS were significantly less likely to reach late perimenopause or postmenopause at the age of 46 years than control participants (3.1% vs 18.4%; adjusted odd ratio, 0.15; P < .001).
• Compared with control participants, women with PCOS had 32% lower odds of any menopausal symptoms (P < .05).
• Those with PCOS had 41% and 35% lower odds of hot flashes and sleep disturbances, respectively, than control participants (P < .05 for both).
• Affective symptoms, memory disturbances, sexual dysfunction, vaginal dryness, or muscle and joint soreness did not differ significantly between the two groups.

IN PRACTICE:

"The [study] results suggest that women with PCOS experience delayed menopausal transition with longer exposure to natural estrogens, which could confer health benefits to these women," the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Johanna Lavi, Research Unit of Clinical Medicine, Medical Research Center, Oulu University Hospital, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. It was published online on April 08, 2026, in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica.

LIMITATIONS:

The final age at which women reached late perimenopause could not be determined as many participants had not yet reached late perimenopause at the time of assessment. The study relied on FSH measurements to define menopausal status. The ethnically homogeneous Finnish population limited the generalisability of the findings to women of other ethnic backgrounds.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was funded by the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, Research Council of Finland, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Oulu University UniOGS funding, Finnish Medical Foundation, and Roche Diagnostics International Ltd. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.