Autism and the menopause

Research on autistic people’s experiences of menopause, its impact and strategies for support is unfortunately very limited. What research there is suggests autistic people may not have all the information required to navigate menopause.

Research suggests menopause can affect autistic people in a number of ways, including:

• intensified sensory sensitivities
• difficulty with emotional regulation
• difficulty with executive function, for example planning, focusing and multitasking
• increased difficulty with social interaction and communication
• difficulty with the lack of predictability around your bodily or sensory experience
• difficulty identifying internal states, such as hunger and temperature (this is known as ‘atypical interoception’)
• difficulty recognising and communicating emotions (known as ‘alexithymia’)
• difficulty seeking support due to alexithymia, atypical interoception and communication difficulties.

Some autistic people report that menopause played a role in discovering that they are autistic, as their autistic characteristics became more apparent during menopause or perimenopause. Some autistic people with ADHD found that their ADHD traits became more prominent.

Research suggests that autistic people benefit from knowing that they are autistic before they reach menopause, as this helps them to:

• understand why their menopause experience might be different to non-autistic people
• have more compassion for themselves
• come up with coping strategies that work for them.

Treatment

Treatment for menopause and perimenopause symptoms is the same for autistic and non-autistic people.

The main medicine treatment is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which replaces hormones that are at low levels during the menopause. Not everyone can take HRT (for example, people with breast cancer cannot) and some people choose not to. You can discuss the potential benefits and risks with your GP.

There are also non-hormone treatments for certain symptoms, such as hot flushes and low mood. Read the NHS page on treatments for menopause symptoms for more information and speak to your GP about what is best for you.