Is it menopause or is it MS?

Menopause refers to the complete cessation of ovarian function that leads to relative sex hormone insufficiency, together with increased risk of comorbid conditions including cardiovascular disease (CVD), bone loss and increased risk of certain cancers. Vasomotor symptoms (VMS), which comprise hot flushes and night sweats, are the cardinal symptoms of menopause, and are experienced by most women from the menopausal transition. In the context of multiple sclerosis (MS), VMS may result in pseudo-exacerbations (relapses) of pre-existing deficits, leading both women with MS and their physicians to often ask – is this menopause or is this MS? Our contemporary understanding of women’s health in midlife is limited, with even less evidence as it relates to women with MS. Factors critical to women’s quality of life through their mid-years including the impact of the menopausal transition in MS in the context of physical disability, quality of life and workplace participation remain unknown. A recent scoping review, with over 5000 respondents with MS ranked research into understanding how the menopausal transition and menopause affect disease activity, course, and quality of life in MS as their top priority. This project will directly address this critical unmet need. We will ascertain demographic, clinical, menopause-related, quality of life and workplace participation status of 1250 Australian women living with MS, aged 40-69 (~14% of all Australian women with MS in this age group). We will determine whether their quality of life differs from that of a contemporary age-matched cohort of women in the general Australian population. Our study is globally unique, bringing together a cohort of midlife Australian women with MS, with an even larger comparator cohort of matched Australian women from the general population, so that we can begin to answer the question, is it menopause or is it MS? This project will suit a PhD candidate interested in neurology (multiple sclerosis), endocrinology, women's health, biostatistics, or population health. Working with global leaders in the field, A/Prof Vilija Jokubaitis (women's health in MS expert), Prof Susan Davis (endocrinologist, and menopause expert), Dr Rakib Islam (biostats and epidemiology expert) you will generate world-first knowledge and a desperately needed evidence base of the impact of menopause on outcomes in women with Multiple Sclerosis.