Psychosocial determinants of climacteric complaints

A total of 2349 Norwegian women aged 45-55 years, were investigated using postal questionnaires. Associations between menopausal development, psychosocial factors and climacteric complaints were analyzed. Factor analysis of 24 climacteric complaints identified five factors (vague somatic complaints, nervous complaints, mood lability, vasomotor and urogenital complaints) which were analyzed in relation to stage of menopausal development and a number of psychosocial variables. Five types of variable contributed to the variance in the five previously identified factors, viz. style of reacting to menstruation earlier in life, mother's climacteric complaints, negative expectations regarding the menopause, social network, sociodemographic factors, and chronological age. Menopausal development played a modest role in explaining the variance in all except vasomotor complaints, the latter being associated with current cigarette smoking. Traditional sex-role identification was associated with nervous complaints. The authors conclude that hot flushes, excessive sweating and vaginal dryness are the only complaints clearly attributable to menopausal development.