![](\"https:\/\/mms.businesswire.com\/media\/20260729568693\/en\/2862669\/22\/FLO_-_HEALTH.jpg\")
<\/a>![](\"https:\/\/mms.businesswire.com\/media\/20260729568693\/en\/2862669\/21\/FLO_-_HEALTH.jpg\")
<\/a>\nThe research compared experiences of women aged 35 and older from 20 different countries. Respondents were asked to rate each psychological symptom\u2019s severity using the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), a validated clinical questionnaire used widely in menopause research. Each symptom is scored from 0 to 4, giving a total psychological domain score of 0 to 16. Higher scores mean more severe symptoms.<\/p>
\nPerimenopausal women reported an average psychological domain score of 7.3, which was 1.5x higher than the 4.8 score from the premenopause group. Every individual symptom \u2014 depressive mood, irritability, anxiety, and exhaustion \u2014 was significantly higher in the perimenopause group, with exhaustion having the largest difference.<\/p>
\n\"We know that anxiety and depression get a lot of attention when it comes to perimenopause, and for good reason \u2014 they matter. But what stood out to us in this study was the scale of the difference in exhaustion and irritability between the perimenopause and premenopause groups,\" said Adam Cunningham, PhD, Lead Research Scientist at Flo and co-first author of the study. \"These are symptoms that can have a real impact on daily life and work, and they deserve to be part of the conversation.\"<\/p>
\nNotably, these differences remained significant after researchers adjusted for a wide range of other factors, including age, education, income, ethnicity, existing diagnoses of anxiety or depression, BMI, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Across the board, perimenopause was still independently associated with higher psychological symptom scores.<\/p>
\nThe study included more than 2,000 women in perimenopause from 20 countries across six continents, allowing us to explore international differences in psychological symptom burden. We found significant differences between countries across all four symptoms and in the overall domain score. Nigeria had the lowest mean psychological domain score \u2014 3.5 \u2014 followed by Venezuela (4.8), Chile (5.1), Germany (5.3), and Colombia (5.4). The highest scores were seen in Brazil (8.8), the UK (8.4), Australia (8.1), Canada (8.0), and the United States (7.9).<\/p>
\n\"One of the strengths of this study is its international reach,\" said Liudmila Zhaunova, PhD, Director of Science at Flo and senior study author. \"Including women from 20 countries allowed us to begin exploring how psychological symptoms during perimenopause may vary across populations. While these findings are exploratory, they reinforce the need for more globally representative research to better understand women's experiences and inform future education, research, and care.\"<\/p>
\nKEY DATA POINTS<\/span><\/b><\/p> \nAbout Flo Health<\/b><\/p> \nFlo Health is the #1 Health and Fitness app worldwide and the #1 OB-GYN-recommended platform for period and cycle tracking. In 2024, Flo became the first European femtech unicorn following an investment from General Atlantic and now supports 80 million monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide. Powered by a network of over 100+ medical experts, Flo guides women through every stage of their health journey \u2013 from menstruation to conception, pregnancy, and menopause \u2013 offering curated cycle and ovulation tracking, personalized health insights, daily educational content, and a private community for users to share questions or concerns. Through its Pass it on Project, Flo has donated 28M Flo Premium subscriptions to improve health literacy to women in need, aiming to reach up to one billion. A leader in privacy and security, Flo Health's Anonymous Mode feature was recognized as one of TIME's Best Inventions 2023 and also named a finalist for Fast Company's 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards as part of the company's commitment to privacy.<\/p> \nFor more information, please visit https:\/\/flo.health<\/a>.<\/p> \nSurvey Methodology<\/b><\/p> \nA total of 7,975 Global Flo Health users aged 35 and above, who use the app in English, French, Portuguese or Spanish, were included in an online cross sectional survey. Users taking hormonal contraception or hormone therapy were excluded. The Menopause Rating Scale, a validated measure of the severity of menopause symptoms, was used to measure menopause symptom burden, with a focus on the psychological domain and its individual symptoms of depressive mood, irritability, anxiety and exhaustion.<\/p> \nPR contacts<\/b>\n