Music therapy aids perimenopausal women

Music therapy appears to benefit perimenopausal women by easing their psychological and emotional symptoms, according to a study.

For the study, researchers evaluated a music psychotherapy program as a nonpharmacological approach, in addition to treatment using drugs such as hormone therapy, for perimenopausal women. A total of 40 women participated in the study, half of whom underwent music psychotherapy (experimental group) and the other half underwent cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT; control group).

The participants were between 40 and 60 years of age and reported having no menstrual period for 1 year. The experimental group attended eight 60-minute sessions of music psychotherapy, including CBT, over 4 months.

Compared with the control group, the experimental group showed significantly greater decrease in the total score (change over time, 9.2 vs 3.5 points; p=0.008) and psychology subcategory score (change over time, 6.5 vs 0.9 points; p=0.004) on the Menopause Rating Scale.

In parallel, a significant increase in quality-of-life psychological score was observed in the experimental group but not in the control group.

The findings suggest that music psychotherapy may be useful in the management of menopausal symptoms in women. The researchers believe that their study provides a scientific basis for developing treatments for perimenopausal women that do not involve the use of medication.