Intensification of menopausal symptoms among female inhabitants of East European countries

Abstract

The objective of the study was analysis of the occurrence and intensity of menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women from Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. The study was conducted during the period 2014-2015 among postmenopausal women living in the areas of Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Slovakia. The degree of menopausal complaints was assessed using the Kupperman Menopausal Index and Greene Climacteric Scale. The respondents were additionally asked about age, educational level, place of residence, marital status and age at last menstrual period. Into the study were enrolled women aged 50-65, minimum 2 years after the last menstrual period, who had a generally good state of health and did not use hormone replacement therapy. The results were subjected to statistical analysis. The intensity of all menopausal symptoms measured by the Kupperman Menopausal Index and Greene Climacteric Scale was similar in Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia. In these countries, severe, moderate and mild menopausal symptoms measured by Kupperman Menopausal Index occurred with a similar frequency. Similar results were also obtained in the subscales of psychological, somatic and vasomotor symptoms according to the Greene Climacteric Scale. Nearly a half of the women from Belarus did not report symptoms measured by Kupperman Menopausal Index. They obtained significantly lower menopausal complaints in the subscales of psychological and somatic symptoms according to the Greene Climacteric Scale, compared to the inhabitants of the remaining countries. The majority of women from the Ukraine had mild menopausal symptoms as measured by the Kupperman Menopausal Index. They had significantly more severe complaints in the subscales of psychological, somatic and vasomotor symptoms according to the Greene Climacteric Scale, compared to the inhabitants of the remaining countries in the study. The intensity of menopausal symptoms in women from Ukraine and Belarus was related with educational level, place of residence, and marital status, whereas in women from Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia, only with marital status.

The correlation between menopausal complaints and personality traits

“…In the study, it was observed that the women with a lower educational level had higher psychological complaints and lower urogenital complaints. Similar to the results of the present study, some studies revealed that women with a lower educational level had more psychological problems . Similarly, in Makara‐Studzińska's study, women with the most severe menopausal symptoms had the worst educational level .…”

“…Similar to the results of the present study, some studies revealed that women with a lower educational level had more psychological problems. [19][20][21] Similarly, in Makara-Studzińska's study, women with the most severe menopausal symptoms had the worst educational level. 22 Unlike the results of the present study, a study suggested that there was no significant correlation between the educational level and psychological complaints of women.…”

Menopausal Symptoms and Perimenopausal Healthcare-Seeking Behavior in Women Aged 40–60 Years: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Survey in Shanghai, China

“…Demographic data have shown that every year, 25 million women worldwide experience the menopause. This will result in 1.2 billion postmenopausal women worldwide by 2030 [2]. The menopause in white Caucasian women occurs on average at age 51 (with ethnic and regional variations) [3], while in Asian countries, the mean age of onset of the menopause varies, with the mean age of onset in Taiwanese women at 49.3 years as reported in a study in 1997 [4].…”

Association of menopausal symptoms with sociodemographic factors and personality traits

“…In the multiple regression analysis, however, it was found that urban living may potentially influence the subjective experience of VMS as this is manifested in the HFBS score. Most previous studies indicate that women in rural areas experience fewer menopausal symptoms than those living in urban areas [20], but other studies are not in the same line [21]. In general, evidence suggests that residence is an influential factor for menopausal symptoms [22,23].…”