SWAN – Does Risk for Anxiety Increase During the Menopausal Transition?

Tier 1: Established: peer-reviewed research or government health authority
Publisher: Menopause (The Journal of the North American Menopause Society) · Published: August 23, 2026 · Accessed: August 23, 2026

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Claims this source supports

• In the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN), 2,956 women were followed for 10 years; anxiety was measured as a cluster of four symptoms (irritability, tension, fearfulness, racing heart).
• Women with low anxiety at baseline were more likely to report high anxiety symptoms at early or late perimenopause or postmenopause than at premenopause (odds ratio 1.56-1.61), independent of upsetting life events, financial strain, perceived health, and vasomotor symptoms.
• Women with high anxiety at baseline remained anxious but were not at increased risk at specific transition stages – the first-onset pattern is the distinct signature.
• Conclusion (study authors): women with low anxiety at premenopause may be more susceptible to high anxiety during and after the menopausal transition.