ENDOMETRIOSIS AND THE PERIMENOPAUSAL TRANSITION: PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL AND SYMPTOMATIC INSIGHTS
Abstract
This study addresses the growing challenge of managing menopausal syndrome in women with endometriosis during the perimenopausal transition. Despite advances in understanding perimenopause, few data exist on its impact in patients with endometrioid disease. We examined 87 perimenopausal women (aged 45–55) with diagnosed endometriosis—40 surgically treated (Group I) and 47 untreated (Group II)—and compared them to 50 age-matched controls without gynecologic pathology. Menopausal symptoms were graded by the Kupperman index, and health-related quality of life was assessed via the SF-36 questionnaire. Mild, moderate, and severe symptom severities in the endometriosis cohort were observed in 20.3%, 66%, and 32% of patients, respectively, versus 18%, 14%, and 5% in controls. Psychoemotional and vegetovascular disturbances were treated with sulpiride (Prosulpine) 100 mg twice daily, with follow-up at 1, 3, and 6 weeks. Baseline SF-36 scores indicated reduced quality of life in endometriosis patients (56%) compared with controls (72%); post-treatment improvements reached 89% and 96%, respectively. These findings support the use of low-dose atypical antipsychotic therapy to ameliorate psychoemotional and vegetovascular symptoms, thereby enhancing complex management and quality of life in perimenopausal women with endometriosis.
Keywords
:perimenopause; endometriosis; menopausal syndrome; Kupperman index; quality of life; sulpiride; psychoemotional disorders; vegetovascular symptoms.
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