The relation of personal and social factors with patterns and symptoms of menopause

Background Menopause is a natural event and in climacteric period, different degrees of psychosomatic changes occur. To determine a relation between personal, social and reproductive factors with the frequency of mental and physical symptoms of menopause, quality of life of women in climacteric phase, and women’s attitude toward menopause, a cross-sectional study was carried out. Methods: In this study, which conducted in the Clinics and Health Centers of Tabriz, in East Province of Azarbayejan, Northwest of Iran from April 2005 to April 2006, 300 women aged 40-60, filled a questionnaire about background details, history of pregnancy, mental and physical symptoms of menopause and women’s attitude toward menopause. Results: Aching in muscles and joints was the most (68.7%), and increased facial hair was the least common symptoms (20.5%). According to participants, as age increases, the quality of life worsens (p=0.003). Quality of life in employed persons was better than retired ones and housewives (p=0.001). Quality of life improves with increase in educational level (p<0.05). Increase in number of children lead to worsening of quality of life in menopause (p=0.001). By improving in quality of life, positive attitude toward menopause increased (p=0.005). About 85.% of women accepted menopause as a natural process, 43.6% as getting old, and 21.6% as a disease. Conclusion: Quality of life worsens with increase in age and number of children, whereas increased educational level and employment improved it. Those with better quality of life have a more positive attitude toward menopause. In spite, the fact that most women accepted menopause as a natural process but almost one fifth of them accepted it as a disease.