Table 2.
Women’s health questionnaire responses.
| Total (n = 304) n (%) | |
|---|---|
| My PD onset started…a | |
| While I was still having regular periods | 52 (17.5) |
| While I was going through perimenopause | 26 (8.8) |
| One year or more after my last menstrual period | 219 (73.7) |
| Are you still menstruatinga | |
| Yes | 25 (8.3) |
| No | 278 (91.7) |
| Have you ever been diagnosed with Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)a | |
| Yes | 34 (11.2) |
| No | 269 (88.8) |
| Are you perimenopausal?a | |
| Yes | 18 (6.1) |
| No | 277 (93.9) |
| Has your doctor checked to see if your hormone levels have changed for perimenopause?a | |
| Yes | 8 (44.4) |
| No | 10 (55.6) |
| Have you experienced menopause?a | |
| Yes | 264 (88.0) |
| No | 36 (12.0) |
| Menses-related history | |
| Did/do you notice that PD symptoms improved at any part of the menstrual cycle?a | |
| Yes | 7 (9.3) |
| No | 68 (90.7) |
| When did/do you notice that PD symptoms improved? (check all apply) | |
| In the 1–7 days before my period started | 1 (0.33) |
| During, while I was bleeding | 1 (0.33) |
| In the 1–7 days after I stopped bleeding | 4 (1.3) |
| In the middle of my cycle, with ovulation | 1 (0.33) |
| None | 1 (0.33) |
| When did you notice with symptoms worsening around menses? (check all apply) | |
| Medication felt less effective | 8 (2.6) |
| Higher doses of meds were required to maintain function | 4 (1.3) |
| More off/irregular frequency periods | 10 (3.3) |
| N/A | 32 (10.5) |
| Don’t recall | 33 (10.9) |
| Surgery history | |
| I have experienced…(check all apply) | |
| Total hysterectomy (removal of uterus, cervix, ovaries, Fallopian tubes, and surrounding structures) | 48 (15.8) |
| Oophorectomy (surgical removal of one/unilateral or both/bilateral ovaries) | 25 (8.2) |
| Mastectomy | 9 (3.0) |
| None | 193 (63.5) |
| Partial hysterectomy (just uterus) | 33 (10.9) |
| Hormone-related History | |
| Did you start hormone replacement therapy (HRT) within the first 2 years of menopause or after receiving a hysterectomy?a | |
| Yes | 84 (29.0) |
| No | 206 (71.0) |
| What type of HRT have you tried? | |
| Estrogen | 37 (12.2) |
| Progesterone/Progestin | 10 (3.3) |
| Estrogen and progesterone combination | 38 (12.5) |
| Prior to being diagnosed with PD did you use any of these types of birth control? | |
| Pill | 206 (67.8) |
| Hormonal IUD | 18 (5.9) |
| Copper IUD | 34 (11.2) |
| Tubal ligation | 35 (11.5) |
| Essure | 2 (0.66) |
| Patch | 4 (1.3) |
| None of these | 67 (22.0) |
| Other | 33 (10.9) |
| Pregnancy-related experiences | |
| I have experienced: (check all apply) | |
| In vitro fertilization | 6 (2.0) |
| C-section | 60 (19.7) |
| Vaginal birth | 188 (61.8) |
| Having children prior to PD diagnosis | 225 (74.0) |
| Having children after PD diagnosis | 1 (0.33) |
| No children | 62 (20.4) |
| Did you experience difficulties with: | |
| Conceiving (fertility) | 42 (13.8) |
| Childbirth | 35 (11.5) |
| Pregnancy (reaching full birth) | 32 (10.5) |
| None | 206 (67.8) |
| Did you have any of the following experiences prenatally, perinatally, or postnatally? (check all apply) | |
| Eclampsia or pre-eclampsia | 15 (4.9) |
| Diabetes during pregnancy | 7 (2.3) |
| Viral infection | 6 (2.0) |
| Bacterial infection | 11 (3.6) |
| Depression/anxiety during pregnancy | 11 (3.6) |
| Postpartum Depression | 27 (8.9) |
| Flair up migraines | 20 (6.6) |
| None | 209 (68.8) |
| Did you breastfeed?a | |
| Yes | 189 (63.4) |
| No | 50 (16.8) |
| N/A | 59 (19.8) |
| Hormonal/autoimmune disorders | |
| Have you ever been diagnosed with any of these disorders? | |
| Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome | 17 (5.6) |
| Hypothyroidism | 54 (17.8) |
| Hyperthyroidism | 19 (6.3) |
| Diabetes Type I | 0 (0.0) |
| Diabetes Type II | 15 (4.9) |
| Lupus | 1 (0.33) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 4 (1.3) |
| Migraines (no aura) | 39 (12.8) |
aData not available for all subjects. Missing values: pd_onset = 7; still_menstruating = 1; diagnosed_with_pms = 1; perimenopause = 9; hormone_levels_for_perimenopause = 286; experience_of_menopause = 4; symptoms improved menstrual cycle = 3; hormone_replacement_therapy = 14; breastfeeding = 6.