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Menopause and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review

Summary written by Tanvi Kale

In this study, we comprehensively reviewed existing research on how menopause and hormone therapy relate to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Out of more than 1600 records, only 15 studies met our criteria, highlighting how limited the evidence is. From these studies, we found that women with IBD tend to experience menopause earlier than women without IBD. Most women did not report major changes in their IBD symptoms after menopause, although a smaller group did experience worsening symptoms. Findings on hormone therapy were inconsistent – some studies suggested an increased risk of ulcerative colitis, while others found no significant association after adjusting for other factors. A few studies indicated that hormone therapy might reduce the severity of IBD flares. We also saw that women with IBD reported more severe vulvovaginal symptoms and had different vaginal microbiome profiles compared to healthy women. Overall, our review shows that there is very little high-quality research on menopause in women with IBD, and the existing findings are mixed and inconclusive. More rigorous studies are needed to better understand how menopause and hormone therapy affect IBD activity and symptoms, so that care for women with IBD can be better tailored across their lifespan.

Link to article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41032035/ 

 

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