Children Ease Menopausal Symptoms, New Study Shows

Having kids in the house could help reduce symptoms of menopause, according to a new study.

Recent findings provided by researchers at the Kinsey Institute and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center reveal that young children can help decrease menopausal symptoms.

For the study, researchers examined 117 menopausal women who underwent health checks before surgery and then again at two months, six months and a year following. Findings revealed that those who were around children following the process saw significantly fewer hot flashes and night sweats.

"These are intriguing findings," said researcher Tierney Lorenz, postdoctoral fellow at The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University Bloomington, in a news release. "For women who were menopausal when our study began, those with young children at home actually showed more symptoms of hot flashes. But the women who underwent rapid menopause because of the surgical removal of their ovaries showed a dramatic reduction of symptoms."

Furthermore, researchers also noted that the findings only held true in families with young children.

"The fact the effects observed were limited to only women with children younger than 13 years suggests that parity was not sufficient to produce changes in flashes and points instead to the increased nurturance needs of young children," study authors wrote in the journal article. "Presence of young children at home may moderate development of hot flashes during the menopausal transition."

More information regarding the findings can be seen via Menopause: the Journal of the North American Menopause Society.