Climacteric complaints and their relation to menopausal development--a retrospective analysis

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Sociology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The climacteric period presents various physical and psychological complaints.
• Understanding the prevalence and contributing factors of these complaints is crucial for women's health.
• Previous research has explored menopause symptoms, but population-based data on associated factors require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of climacteric complaints in a Danish general population cohort.
• To retrospectively examine associations between climacteric complaints, menopausal development, life events, and socioeconomic background.

Main Methods:

• A postal questionnaire was administered to 597 51-year-old women in Copenhagen suburbs (88% response rate).
• Data collected included menstrual patterns, hormonal treatment, socioeconomic details, climacteric complaints, and life events over four years.
• Logistic regression analyses were performed on women experiencing natural menopausal development.

Main Results:

• Hot flushes, moodiness, and fatigue were significantly associated with menopausal status transitions.
• Fatigue, moodiness, and depression showed strong associations with socioeconomic variables.
• Life events demonstrated only occasional associations with the prevalence of studied complaints.

Conclusions:

• Menopausal status is a key determinant for hot flushes, moodiness, and fatigue.
• Socioeconomic factors play a significant role in the experience of fatigue, moodiness, and depression.
• Life events have a limited impact on the prevalence of these climacteric complaints in this population.