Research from Bournemouth University found that adults with autism, most of them women, reported more severe menopause symptoms and poorer mental health than participants without autism. The five-week study followed 901 adults and examined how perceptions of menopause were associated with symptom severity, raising questions about communication and support in midlife care.
Key Takeaways
- Bournemouth University announced the findings on October 28, 2026.
- Researchers collected five weeks of responses from 476 adults with autism and 425 without autism, ages 40 to 60.
- Participants with autism reported more severe menopause symptoms, greater anxiety and depression, and lower quality of life.
- Feelings of reduced control and difficulty understanding menopause were associated with poorer outcomes, but causation was not established.
Women with autism reported more severe menopause symptoms, greater anxiety and depression, and lower quality of life than participants without autism in research announced October 28, 2026, by Bournemouth University in England. The differences appeared across five weekly assessments involving 901 adults ages 40 to 60.
The researchers also identified a link between symptom severity and how participants understood changes happening during menopause. Those findings may help explain some reported differences, but they do not establish that autism causes more severe symptoms or that changing a person’s perceptions would resolve them.
Five Weeks of Surveys Show Differences in Symptom Severity
Doctoral researcher Eunhee Kim led the study, which included 476 participants with autism and 425 without autism. Most participants were cisgender women. The research team asked participants to complete standardized self-report questionnaires over five consecutive weeks, rather than assessing symptoms at a single appointment.
The questionnaires covered perceived menopause symptom severity, depression, anxiety, quality of life and beliefs about menopause. By comparing responses at multiple points, the researchers could examine whether the reported group differences continued throughout the monitoring period.
The results showed consistently higher symptom severity among participants with autism. They also reported poorer mental health and quality-of-life scores than those without autism. These were patterns in participants’ responses, not outcomes confirmed by separate clinical examinations.
Although most participants were cisgender women, the sample was not exclusively female. The findings describe the adults who participated and should not be treated as a prediction for every woman with autism.
The paper has been accepted for publication in Autism in Adulthood, according to Bournemouth University’s research repository. Because the project was observational and relied on self-reported experiences, it cannot identify a medical cause for the differences. Its five-week duration also does not capture the full course of perimenopause or menopause for individual participants.
In the United States, menopause is generally defined as the point reached after 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period. The transition before that point, called perimenopause, can bring irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats and changes in sleep or mood. Symptoms differ in their timing and intensity.
Cognitive complaints can also arise during the transition. Separate research on menopause brain fog symptoms has examined reported changes in concentration and memory. That UCLA research involved a different group of women and cannot establish why participants with autism reported greater difficulties in the Bournemouth study.
Anxiety and Physical Health Conditions Add Important Context
Alongside menopause symptoms, participants with autism reported higher anxiety and depression scores across the five weeks. They also recorded lower quality-of-life scores. The researchers found that these outcomes were associated with menopause symptom severity, although the direction of those relationships remains uncertain.
Bournemouth University reported additional differences in participants’ physical health histories. Adults with autism were almost twice as likely to report one or more cardiovascular conditions and more than four times as likely to report a musculoskeletal condition compared with participants without autism. The comparisons describe conditions within this sample, not the prevalence of those diagnoses among all women with autism.
These findings require care in interpretation. A reported cardiovascular or musculoskeletal condition may predate menopause, and the study did not establish that hormonal changes caused it. Chronic pain, disturbed sleep or other medical concerns can also complicate a patient’s description of symptoms during midlife.
Separate coverage of heart health during perimenopause examines cardiovascular changes that may occur during the menopausal transition. The Bournemouth study addressed a different question: whether participants reported existing health conditions alongside their menopause experiences. It did not test whether menopause caused cardiovascular disease.
The National Institute on Aging also identifies sleep problems, mood changes and difficulty concentrating as possible concerns around menopause. Such symptoms are not specific to the transition, which makes a review of medical history and other possible explanations important when they disrupt daily life.
Understanding Menopause Changes Emerges as a Key Factor
A central part of the study concerned what the researchers called “menopause representations,” meaning participants’ beliefs, thoughts and feelings about the transition. The team examined whether these perceptions were associated with reported symptoms, psychological well-being and quality of life.
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Participants who felt less in control or found menopause difficult to understand tended to report poorer outcomes. Statistical analyses suggested that these perceptions partly accounted for the relationship between autism status and the outcomes measured. The authors cautioned that other mechanisms may also contribute and called for replication under more controlled conditions.
Rachel Moseley, a Bournemouth University researcher and study coauthor, said difficulties obtaining support can arise when a person’s outward expression does not match the level of distress they describe.
“It’s so important to believe any person who tells you they are struggling,” she said in the university’s announcement.
Coauthor Julie Gamble-Turner also emphasized the role of clearer, more tailored information about menopause. The researchers suggested that helping patients understand bodily changes may reduce uncertainty, although this study did not test educational resources, counseling or any treatment approach.
The findings offer a reason for clinicians to ask specific questions about symptoms, daily functioning and a patient’s understanding of menopause rather than relying only on outward appearance. They do not support a single approach for everyone with autism, whose symptoms and healthcare needs may differ widely.
The Menopause Society advises that treatment decisions account for symptoms, personal medical history and individual circumstances. Options for some menopause symptoms include hormone and nonhormonal therapies, but this study did not compare their effectiveness in participants with autism. Its contribution is the documented association between reported symptom burden, mental health and perceived understanding of menopause.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the study find about autism and menopause?
The autism and menopause study found that participants with autism reported more severe symptoms, higher anxiety and depression scores, and lower quality of life. These findings do not prove that autism caused those outcomes.
How many people participated in the study?
Researchers followed 901 adults ages 40 to 60, including 476 with autism and 425 without autism. Most were cisgender women, and questionnaires were completed over five weeks.
Did researchers identify why symptoms were more severe?
They identified associations involving reduced feelings of control and difficulty understanding menopause. The observational study could not establish causation or rule out other contributing factors.
Does the study recommend a particular treatment?
No. The researchers did not test treatments, and people with troubling symptoms should discuss assessment and care options with a qualified healthcare professional.
Disclaimer:
This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Individual symptoms and healthcare needs vary. A qualified healthcare professional can assess persistent or severe concerns.
