What happens after menopause? (WHAM): A prospective controlled study of vasomotor symptoms and menopause-related quality of life 12 months after premenopausal risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy

Abstract

Objective: To measure menopausal symptoms and quality of life up to 12 months after risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) and to measure the effects of hormone therapy.

Methods: Prospective observational study of 95 premenopausal women planning RRSO and a comparison group of 99 who retained their ovaries. Vasomotor symptoms and menopausal-related quality of life (QoL) were measured by the Menopause-Specific QoL Intervention scale at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. Chi-square tests measured differences in prevalence of vasomotor symptoms between RRSO vs the comparison group and by hormone therapy use. Change in QoL were examined with multilevel modelling.

Results: Three months after RRSO hot flush prevalence increased from 5.3% to 56.2% and night sweats from 20.2% to 47.2%. Symptoms did not worsen between 3 and 12 months and remained unchanged in the comparison group (p<0.001). After RRSO, 60% commenced hormone therapy. However, 40% of hormone therapy uses continued to experience vasomotor symptoms. After RRSO, 80% of non-hormone therapy users reported vasomotor symptoms. Regardless of hormone therapy use, 86% categorized their vasomotor symptoms as "mild" after RRSO. Following RRSO, Menopause-related QoL deteriorated but was stable in the comparison group (adjusted coefficient = 0.75, 95%CI = 0.55-0.95). After RRSO, QoL was better in hormone therapy users vs non-users (adjusted coefficient = 0.49, 95%CI = 0.20-0.78).

Conclusions: Vasomotor symptoms increase by 3 months after RRSO but do not worsen over the next 12 months. Hormone Therapy reduces but does not resolve vasomotor symptoms and may improve QoL, but not to pre-oophorectomy levels.

Keywords: BRCA1/2; Hormone therapy; Menopause-related quality of life; Oophorectomy; Vasomotor symptoms.