Pain due to temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is correlated with the stage of menopause, according to a recent study reported in the journal Menopause.¹

Seventy-four women with TMD-associated pain were categorized into three groups: late menopause transition with 25 participants, early postmenopause with 30 participants and late postmenopause with 19 participants, based on their menopausal stage. In this study, the researchers aimed to assess if menopause symptoms had any impact on the severity of pain.

Pain due to TMD was more severe in women in late menopausal transition and a significant correlation between pain severity and menopause symptoms was also noted in this group of women. The severity and the correlation diminished with progression to the postmenopausal stage. During early postmenopause, the symptoms were also affected by socioeconomic factors such as education and ethnicity. These results show an association between menopausal age and symptoms of TMD and also show the varying severity of pain during menopausal transition. Hence, the researchers suggest that women should be examined for TMD as the near the menopausal age and all through the menopausal transition including postmenopausal age.

Reference

1. Galhardo APM, et al. Does temporomandibular disorder correlate with menopausal symptoms? Menopause. 2022 May 10. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001962.