Early menopause and hysterectomy may be one of the factors that can contribute to the development of Fibromyalgia (FM), according to an article e-published in the journal Clinical Rheumatology.

The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between symptoms of FM and early menopause and hysterectomy.

For the study, 115 postmenopausal patients with FM and 67 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients were questioned about the severity of their symptoms of FM, anxiety, and depression by using a visual analog scale and FM impact questionnaire. Patients' history of menopause and hysterectomy were recorded.

The average age of the patients with FM was 54.6 years +/- 7.6 and the average age of the patients with RA was 55.5 years +/- 9.

Menopause at 45 years old or younger was considered to be early menopause.

The frequencies of early menopause and hysterectomy in FM patients were significantly higher than in RA patients.

FM related symptoms started in 30 of the patients with FM (26.1%) at the same time as menopause or within the first postmenopausal year. When the clinical features of FM patients whose symptoms started within the first menopausal year were compared to other FM patients; it was observed that the frequency of early menopause was higher in the group that had symptoms start at the same time as menopause or within the first postmenopausal year.

The Duke anxiety and depression score was also higher in patients with hysterectomy whose FM symptoms started within the first year of post-hysterectomy, compared with ther FM patients.

The researchers concluded that:

"Early menopause and hysterectomy may be one of the factors contributing to the development of Fibromyalgia Syndrome."