Anxiety symptoms linked to hot flash severity around menopause
Two observational studies of 227 and 116 women linked anxiety-specific symptoms, but not depression-specific symptoms, to hot flash severity after accounting for general distress.
Our read
Populations- Studied:
- Preprint: study of 227 women in perimenopause and early postmenopause
- What changed:
- Hot flash severity was linked to anxiety-specific symptoms, but not depression-specific symptoms, after accounting for general distress
- The catch:
- Hot flashes could contribute to anxiety symptoms, rather than the reverse
- Why it’s aging research:
- A leading disease of aging, its risks or menopause.
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Women in perimenopause and early postmenopause were studied in two observational analyses. One used a nationwide sample of 227 women. The other used 116 women from a nationwide longitudinal study. Researchers examined how symptoms specific to anxiety or depression related to hot flash severity after accounting for general distress.
Anxious arousal, the physical activation associated with anxiety, was strongly linked to hot flash severity. Anhedonia, a loss of interest or pleasure and a symptom of depression, was not. The pattern appeared in both samples. The authors concluded that anxiety-specific symptoms, rather than depression-specific symptoms, may be particularly relevant to hot flashes during menopause.
Why it matters
Menopause research often measures depression with a questionnaire that also captures anxiety and general distress. Separating these symptoms may help clarify how emotional and physical changes are linked during reproductive aging.
Caveats
The observational analyses could not rule out hot flashes contributing to anxiety symptoms, rather than the reverse. The findings concern women in perimenopause and early postmenopause, and the preprint has not been peer-reviewed.
The paper
PsyArXiv, Aug 6, 2026, Open access, Preprint, not yet peer-reviewed
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