Assessment of Relationship between Lifestyle Behaviors and Severity of Perimenopausal Symptoms among Women

Abstract

Menopause is a stage of transition from a reproductive to a non-reproductive state in the life of a woman. The perimenopause transition is defined as the period immediately before the menopause. The most common symptoms of menopause can be broken down into vasomotor, physical, emotional, or sexual complaints. Lifestyle behaviors play a significant role in women's experiencing menopausal symptoms during the perimenopause. Aims:It aims to assess the relationship between women's lifestyle behaviors and the severity of perimenopausal symptoms. Methods:Adescriptive correlational study of 120 perimenopausal women using a purposive sample was conducted at gynecology outpatient clinics and general medicine outpatient clinics at Assuit University hospitals from the first of January to the end of June 2023. Three tools were used for this study: a structured interview questionnaire, a modified menopausal rating scale, and a health promotion lifestyle profile. Results:This study reveals that 85.8% of perimenopausal women's lifestyle was poor. Also, 31.6% of perimenopausal women reported moderate perimenopausal symptoms. Somatic symptoms were the most prevalent symptoms on the menopausal rating scale, followed by psychological symptoms and, lastly, urogenital symptoms. There has been a highly statistically significant difference as regards the relationship between the severity of perimenopausal symptoms and women's lifestyle behaviors (p>0.001). Conclusion:There has been an intense negative correlation between women's lifestyle behaviors and the severity of perimenopausal symptoms. So, women need to get health education from the nurse specialists during perimenopause and nurses should plan and implement educational programs for the perimenopausal women about the healthy life style behaviors to reduce and manage their menopausal symptoms. Recommendation: Plan and implement a necessary educational program for perimenopausal women about healthy lifestyle behaviors to manage menopausal symptoms.