Perceived control over menopausal hot flushes in mid-aged women

Background. Hot flushes (HFs) and night sweats are frequent complaints among both peri- and postmenopausal women. Perceived control of this complaint may vary from one population to another.Objective. To assess perceived control over menopausal HFs and determinant factors among mid-aged Ecuadorian women.Methods. In this cross-sectional study healthy women aged 40–59 years, seeking healthcare centres of eight main cities of Ecuador with more than 100,000 inhabitants, were assessed with the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) and those presenting HFs were requested to fill out the Perceived Control Index (PCI) and a questionnaire containing socio-demographic data (female and partner).Results. A total of 1154 women participated in this study of which 56% presented HFs (n = 646). According to the MRS, 29.1% and 9.1% of these HFs were graded as severe and very severe, respectively. Mean age of women presenting HFs was 49.5 ± 5.2 years, with 51.9% having 12 years or less of education, 61.5% being postmenopausal and 47...