OBJECTIVES:PERCEIVE collected insights from individuals for whom menopausal hormone therapy was unsuitable for addressing the effects and management of menopausal vasomotor symptoms.
STUDY DESIGN:Interviews were conducted with participants exiting DAYLIGHT (NCT05033886), a phase 3b trial of fezolinetant. DAYLIGHT enrolled menopausal women aged 40-65 years who sought relief from moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms but had contraindications/precautions to, prior discontinuation of, or aversion to using hormone therapy.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Menopausal symptoms, impacts of vasomotor symptoms, treatment use and satisfaction, and treatment barriers.
RESULTS:Thirty-two participants were interviewed (mean age 57 years; mean age at onset of vasomotor symptoms 48 years; 78 % employed). Common symptoms were hot flashes (100 %), perspiration (81 %), and night sweats (44 %). Impacts of vasomotor symptoms included difficulty sleeping (94 %), tiredness from sleep interruptions (75 %), work impairment (75 %), emotionality (56 %), need to change clothes (56 %), and poor sleep quality (53 %). A quarter had never had their vasomotor symptoms treated; others had tried natural remedies (53 %), hormone therapy (31 %), acupuncture (9 %), over-the-counter agents (9 %), antidepressants (6 %), vaginal ring (3 %), and psychological therapy (3 %). Hormone therapy had the highest satisfaction rating (mean 3.7 on a 5-point scale); participants were slightly dissatisfied with natural remedies and antidepressants (mean 2.0 each). Treatment barriers included ineligibility and side effects (hormone therapy), ineffectiveness and limited access (nonhormonal agents), cost, menopause stigma, and lack of support from healthcare providers.
CONCLUSIONS:Vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause negatively impacted daily life, particularly sleep, among participants unsuited to hormone therapy. Many sought nonhormonal treatments but found them ineffective, costly, and unsatisfactory.