title: Reproductive life milestones in women with Parkinson's disease.
abstract: Reproductive life milestones were studied in 150 unselected women with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) and in 300 postmenopausal healthy women (PM). Duration of reproductive life was found to be similar in the two groups. The women with PD reported significantly more premenstrual symptoms, fewer deliveries and abortions, and less use of contraception. Time and mode of menopause onset were similar in PD and PM, but the PD women reported significantly more hot flushes, less insomnia, depression, urinary incontinence and dyspareunia, and less recourse to hormone replacement therapy than the PM women. Women diagnosed with PD before the menopause reported more premenstrual symptoms and contraceptive use compared with those with postmenopausal PD onset, as well as a premenstrual worsening of PD symptoms in more than 50% of cases. Our data indicate poor adaptation of neuronal pathways to the hormonal fluctuations of reproductive life in women with PD, supporting the existence of a qualitative relationship between PD and reproductive events.
authors.affiliation: Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Unit, IRCCS C. Mondino Institute of Neurology, Pavia, Italy. emilia.martignoni@med.unipmn.it
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martignoni
authors.forename: Rossella E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Nappi
authors.forename: Antonietta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Citterio
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Calandrella
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zangaglia
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Corengia
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Riboldazzi
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Polatti
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nappi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002979:Climacteric / Q000502:physiology; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008572:Menarche / Q000502:physiology; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease; D011247:Pregnancy; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone