Menopause in HIV-Infected Women

From the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

Abstract

• Objective: To review the current literature on menopause in HIV-infected women.
• Methods: We searched PubMed for articles published in English using the search terms HIV and menopause, HIV and amenorrhea, HIV and menopause symptoms, HIV and vasomotor symptoms, HIV and vaginal dryness, HIV and dyspareunia, HIV and menopause and cardiovascular disease, HIV and menopause and osteoporosis, HIV and menopause and cognition, HIV and menopause and cervical dysplasia, menopause and HIV transmission, and menopause and HIV progression. Major studies on menopause in other populations were also reviewed to provide background data.
• Results: While studies on the age of menopause in HIV-infected women give conflicting results, immuno-suppression associated with HIV appears to contribute to an earlier onset of menopause. HIV-infected women experience menopausal symptoms, especially vasomotor symptoms, earlier and in greater intensity. In addition, menopause and HIV infection have additive effects on one another, further increasing the disease risks of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and progression of cervical dysplasia. The effects of menopause on HIV infection itself seems limited. While some data suggest an increased risk of acquisition in non–HIV-infected menopausal women, menopause has no effect on the transmission or progression of HIV in menopausal HIV-infected women.
• Conclusion: As HIV-infected individuals live longer, practitioners will encounter an increasing number of women entering menopause and living into their postmenopausal years. Future studies on the age of menopause, symptoms of menopause, and the effects of menopause on long term comorbidities such as cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease, and bone density loss are necessary to improve care of this expanding population of women living with HIV.

Since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in 1996, there has been a significant decrease in morbidity and mortality worldwide among individuals living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [1]. It is projected that by the year 2020, half of persons living with HIV infection in the United States will be over the age of 50 years [2]. For HIV-infected women, this longer survival translates into an increased number of women entering into menopause and living well beyond menopause. Enhancing our knowledge about menopause in HIV-infected women is important since the physiologic changes associated with menopause impact short- and long-term quality of life and mortality. Symptoms associated with menopause can be mistaken for symptoms suggestive of infections, cancers, and drug toxicity. Furthermore, changes in cognition, body composition, lipids, glucose metabolism, and bone mass are influential factors determining morbidity and mortality in later years.