Perceptions and attitudes toward the menopause among middle aged women from Guayaquil, Ecuador

Menopausal symptoms and the awareness of menopausal-related information in low-income mid-aged women from Guayaquil, Ecuador

OBJECTIVE

To assess menopausal symptoms and determine awareness of menopausal related information in mid-aged women.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study in which 140 women aged 40 to 60 years from Guayaquil, Ecuador were surveyed with the short 10-item Cervantes Scale (CS-10) and a questionnaire containing personal data and questions assessing awareness of menopause related information.

RESULTS

The mean age of the sample was 48.0 ± 5.6 years. More than half of surveyed women had low education and non-urban residency, none were on menopausal hormone therapy, 33.6% had hypertension, 35% were postmenopausal, 78.6% had an increased body mass index (overweight/obese) and 92.9% had abdominal obesity (waist > 88 cm). The average CS-10 score was 15.3 ± 9.0 with a median of 14.0. The three most frequent menopausal symptoms were muscle-joint pain (75.0%), changes in skin texture (74.3%) and vaginal dryness (71.4%). Regarding awareness of information related to the menopause, it was found that 98.6% of women had no idea about what the menopause is and the average age of its onset. Interestingly, although 61.4% knew that during the menopause there is weight gain, 57.9% were sedentary. Married, postmenopausal, older and less educated women presented higher mean total CS-10 scores. Contrarily, those with less awareness of menopause related information present lower scores.

CONCLUSION

In this low-income mid-aged female sample there was a high rate of non-awareness regarding information related to the menopause, including an unhealthy cardiometabolic profile. There is a need for educational programs aimed to increase awareness in this high-risk population in relation to the surveyed aspects in order to improve their health status and prevent chronic conditions.

Prevalence, impact and management of postmenopausal symptoms among postmenopausal women in Rwanda

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed at evaluating the prevalence and management of postmenopausal symptoms among Rwandan women.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the four largest Rwandan referral hospitals from August 2017 to March 2018 among postmenopausal women. Data on postmenopausal symptoms were collected using the Modified Blatt-Kupperman Menopausal Index and score ranges of 0-6, 7-15, 16-30 and >30 were used to rate the degree of severity as none, mild, moderate, and severe, respectively.

RESULTS

Six hundred participants were recruited. The mean age at natural menopause was 51.7 ± 5.6 years. Common symptoms were hot flushes (82%), sexual complaints (66%) and headache (61%). The mean Blatt-Kupperman index score was 21.2 (1-58). Participants' symptoms were classified as severe (35.8%), moderate (49.0%), mild (11.3%) and none (3.8%). Among 41.2% who had sought medical care, 1.7% were given hormonal replacement and 36% were given only pain medications. Age >50 years and lack of a male partner were significantly associated with higher scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Postmenopausal symptoms remain a burden among Rwandan women and little consideration is given for optimal management. There is a need for health managers to consider this inevitable phase of life on the health policy agenda for equitable healthy aging.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards menopause among Congolese middle-aged and postmenopausal women

Introduction

with the increase in life expectancy, women will live longer during their postmenopausal period. To improve their quality of life, they should be aware of what challenges they will be facing. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices of middle-aged women towards menopause.

Methods

in this cross-sectional study, data collected using a multistage clustered random sampling from 54 health centres in the Democratic Republic of Congo were used. Participants filled a questionnaire derived from the menopause rating scale and from local beliefs. The knowledge, attitudes and practices towards menopause were evaluated among pre- and postmenopausal women.

Results

of the 353 women, both pre- and postmenopausal women knew the definition of menopause but for the symptoms, postmenopausal women were more informed than premenopausal. For the attitudes and practices towards menopause, while both had equally positive attitudes, the premenopausal women did not know which practice to adopt.

Conclusion

Congolese women had limited knowledge, positive attitudes and unconventional practices towards menopause. Health-care providers, therefore, need to dispense appropriate advice to middle-aged women before the advent of menopause.

Perception of menopause among women of Sarawak, Malaysia

Background

Various factors, including menopausal status, educational and social background, culture, and physical and emotional health, may influence women’s perceptions of menopause. This study documents the elements influencing attitudes towards menopause among women in Sarawak, Malaysia.

Methods

A face-to-face interview using a validated questionnaire was conducted with 324 Sarawakian women aged 40–65 to determine the mean age of menopause and perceptions and experiences of menopause among these women.

Results

The mean age ± standard deviation of the women was 51.37 ± 5.91 years. Ninety (27.8%) participants were premenopausal, 124 (38.5%) perimenopausal and 110 (33.7%) postmenopausal. The majority of these women (228; 70.4%) were local indigenous inhabitants of Sarawak. The findings show that 22.5% of the participants agreed that problems during menopause are a natural process. While 21.9% of the participants suggested that menopause should be treated medically, 32.3% argued that natural approaches for menopause symptoms are better than hormonal treatments. Seventy-five per cent of the women agreed that the absence of menses after menopause is a relief; meanwhile, 61.2% stated that menopause causes unpleasant symptoms. Notably, 51.7% were not sure whether women become less sexually attractive after menopause, and 51.1% were uncertain as to whether they feel less of a woman following menopause. Finally, 81.7% of participants were unsure if sexual activity is more enjoyable after menopause, and 71.9% were uncertain whether changes in life during menopause are more stressful. Among the different menopausal stages, the premenopausal group of women were noted to have more positive perceptions of menopause compared to the peri- and postmenopausal women. The study also observed that women with a better educational background generally had more positive perceptions of menopause.

Conclusions

The women’s perceptions of menopause in this study were found to correspond to those in other studies on Asian women. Women with higher levels of education and premenopausal women comparatively expressed more positive opinions regarding menopause. Lastly, most of the women noted that menopausal symptoms are unpleasant, but that the absence of menses after menopause is a relief.

"Moving from uncertainty toward acceptance": a grounded theory study on exploring Iranian women's experiences of encountering menopause

Purpose: Menopause as a universal phenomenon is influenced by social norms so that women's experiences during menopausal transition are related to the social values and cultural symbols. This qualitative study was conducted to discover the Iranian women's experiences of encountering menopause.Materials and Methods: In this grounded theory study 27 women living in Mashhad and Gonabad, North East of Iran, from May 2013 to July, 2016 were selected using purposive and theoretical sampling. Semi structured in-depth interviews were conducted for data collection until data saturation was achieved. Data was analyzed using Strauss and Corbin's (1998) recommended method through open, axial and selective coding. MAXQDA 2007 software was used for organizing data and managing the process of analysis.Results: The analysis revealed the core category of "moving from uncertainty toward acceptance". The interrelated categories subsumed under the core category included challenging aging, observing the symptoms of menopause, responding to the menopausal symptoms, understanding the need for preparation, and assessing the right time to prepare.Conclusion: Moving from uncertainty toward acceptance was identified as the core concept in the Iranian women's experiences of encountering menopause. Modifying the beliefs of people about menopause and aging as well as increasing their knowledge and information about menopause can help women to experience the menopausal transition with more ease.

Attitudes toward menopause, sexual function and depressive symptoms in Mexican women

The objective of this study was to explore the beliefs and attitudes toward menopause, depressive symptoms and sexual function in both premenopausal and postmenopausal Mexican women. The Beliefs about and Attitudes toward Menopause Questionnaire, the Female Sexual Function Index and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale were answered by 253 women between the ages of 46 and 59 years. Negative attitudes toward menopause were associated with a more depressive symptomatology, but there was no association between positive attitudes and depressive symptomatology. Among sexually active women (92% premenopausal and 70% postmenopausal), positive attitudes were associated with better sexual function, while negative attitudes were associated with worse sexual function. Our findings suggest that besides biological factors, psychosocial factors may also play an important role in middle-aged women's sexual functioning and in their psychological adjustment.

Attitudes toward menopause among middle-aged women in Semnan, Iran

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The menopause marks a major biological transition in the lives of all women. Understanding the attitude of women about menopause facilitates the implementation of public health policies that focus on improving women's health. This study was designed to determine the attitude of a group of Iranian women toward menopause with respect to sociodemographic variables and menopausal status.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted at Primary Health Centers of Semnan during 2012. A total of 747 women aged 45-60 years were interviewed. Sociodemographic characteristics and attitude toward menopause were collected through a structured pretested questionnaire. The attitude scale consisted of 17 questions, each rated on a five-point Likert scale with a total score of 85 points.

RESULTS

The mean (±SD) age of women was 51.3 (±4.5) years. Women were classified as premenopausal (38.4%), perimenopausal (16.9%), and postmenopausal (44.8%). The majority of respondents (63.5%) were illiterate or have had low level of education (<9 years), and 86.3% were unemployed. The mean (±SD) attitude score was 53.3 (±6.8). Most of the women (71%) had neutral attitude, 22.8% had positive, and only 6.3% had negative attitude toward menopause. Menopausal status, educational level, marital status, place of residency, and employment were not associated with women's attitude.

CONCLUSION

In general, women's attitude toward menopause ranged from neutral to positive. The attitude did not differ significantly on the basis of menopausal status, educational level, marital status, place of residency, and employment.

Ethnomedical research and review of Q'eqchi Maya women's reproductive health in the Lake Izabal region of Guatemala: Past, present and future prospects

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

In Central America, most Maya women use ethnomedicines for all aspects of their reproductive cycle including menstruation, pregnancy and menopause. However, very few of these plants have been documented, collected and tested in appropriate pharmacological assays to determine possible safety and efficacy. The aim of this work was to provide an overview of information on the ethnomedical uses, ethnopharmacology, chemistry and pharmacological research for medicinal plants used for women's reproductive health in Guatemala, with a special emphasis on the Q'eqchi Maya of the Lake Izabal region, to demonstrate therapeutic potential and support future research in the field.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Reviews of the ethnobotanical, ethnomedical and ethnopharmacological literature were performed for 30 plants collected in the Lake Izabal region of Guatemala and used by the Q'eqchi Maya for treatment of reproductive health issues were performed up to and including July 2015 using multiple databases, library searches for abstracts, books, dissertations, and websites.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Review of the published research confirms that many of the plants used by Q'eqchi Maya women for the management of reproductive health issues have pharmacological activities, including analgesic, anti-inflammatory, estrogenic, progestagenic and/or serotonergic effects, that support the use of these plants and provide plausible mechanisms of action for their traditional uses. Furthermore, a new serotonin agonist, 9, 10-methylenedioxy-5, 6-Z-fadyenolide was isolated, thereby demonstrating an untapped potential for drug discovery. However, to date much of the pharmacological assays have been in vitro only, and few in vivo studies have been performed. Considering the large percentage of the Maya population in Guatemala that use traditional medicines, there remains a significant lack of pharmacological and toxicological data for these plants. Future research should focus on the safety and efficacy of medicinal plants using in vivo preclinical studies and clinical trials, as well as chemical analysis. Since medicinal plants from the Piperaceae are most commonly used as traditional medicines by the Q'eqchi Maya women, and new bioactive compounds have been identified from Piper species, investigations of commonly used plants from this family would be an appropriate place to start. Data generated from such studies would contribute to Guatemala's national effort to promote a complementary relationship between traditional Maya medicine and public health services.

Vaginal health in the United States: results from the Vaginal Health: Insights, Views & Attitudes survey

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess US postmenopausal women's knowledge of and attitudes toward vaginal atrophy, using the Vaginal Health: Insights, Views & Attitudes survey.

METHODS

Data were obtained from 3,520 postmenopausal women (aged 55-65 y) in the United States, Canada, and Europe using a structured Internet-based questionnaire. Results for US women (n = 500) are presented.

RESULTS

Eighty percent of women had finished their menses more than 5 years previously, and 93% had experienced at least one menopausal symptom, although only 63% associated vaginal symptoms with menopause. Of those who had experienced "vaginal discomfort" (48%), vaginal dryness (85%) and pain during intercourse (52%) were most commonly reported. Eighty-two percent of women had experienced vaginal discomfort for 1 year or more. Most women (80%) considered vaginal discomfort to negatively impact their lives, particularly with regard to sexual intimacy (75%), ability to have a loving relationship (33%), and overall quality of life (25%); women also felt that it made them feel old (36%) and affected their self-esteem (26%). Of those with symptoms, 37% did not consult any healthcare professional, and 40% waited 1 year or more before doing so. Although 78% of those with vaginal discomfort used some form of treatment, this consisted mainly of lubricating gels and creams (65%); only 34% of women had used any form of hormone therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Vaginal atrophy negatively impacts women's lives, but women lack knowledge of the subject and are hesitant to consult healthcare professionals, who should proactively initiate discussions regarding appropriate treatment options.

Menopause and crisis? Fake or real: comprehensive search to the depth of crisis experienced: a mixed-method study

INTRODUCTION

Menopause is beyond the lack of menstruation and fertility decline in estrogen. Menopause is associated with at least three types of crisis: Biological, psychological and social. The aim of this study was to investigate psychiatric problems related to menopausal stress and experiences about psychological conditions related to menopause as a developmental crisis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This mixed-method study (by triangulation approach) was done on 300 women in menopause age (44-54 years) by consensus sampling. Data gathering was from questionnaire conclude psychosomatic listed and hypochondria's criterion that has been specified by DSMIV. The severity of the disorder was also collected by self-reported question. In the qualitative part, as a phenomenology study, data were gathered with Purposive sampling by a deep semi-structured interview. Data analysis was from content analysis).

RESULTS

Results showed that most of the disorders from psychosomatic listed experienced by women conclude: sexual problems 101(33.7%), hypertension 39(13%), and constipation 30(10%); 2.9% had experienced hypochondrias disorder. In the qualitative part, 5 themes were driven from the results of this study which described the structures of psychological experiences of the menopause as follows: change in emotion and mood, change in attitude, change in self-concept and change in interpersonal relationships.

CONCLUSION

Menopause is a physiological process in women's life, but due to many symptoms and complications, it requires culturally appropriate education, appropriate coping with problems and mental health promotion in this sexual crisis.

Assessment of women's awareness level about symptoms and complications of menopause and methods to their prevention

Context: Since menopause age is constant, an increase in life expectancy has resulted in an increase of the menopause period in women. Aims: This study was done to assess women's awareness level about symptoms and complications of menopause and methods of their prevention. Settings and design: This cross-sectional research was conducted on 220 women, 40 years of age or older referrals in selected health care centers. Methods and material: The research was conducted using a questionnaire with regular random sampling method. Statistical analysis used: The analysis of obtained findings was done by SPSS statistical software and statistical tests. Results: Based on their total score, 48.6% of women had good awareness, 24.1% of them had average awareness, and 27.3% of them had low awareness. Eighty-five percent of the participants had read or heard some topics about menopause from their relatives (26.8%), friends (25.5%), health care staffs (20%), books and journals (10.5%), and television or radio (8.6%). Women's awareness level had significant correlation with child number, job, education, income, hearing or reading text about menopause and their informational source, but awareness did not have significant correlation with age and being menopausal. Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study, the rate of participants' correct answers was lower than 50%. Key message: It is suggested to enhance women's awareness level through all sources including television, radio, journals, newspaper and medical staffs, since education is the most important tool in any prevention programs.

Ambivalent sexism and attitudes toward women in different stages of reproductive life: a semantic, cross-cultural approach

College students in southeastern Mexico (n = 185) and the northeastern United States (n = 96) utilized a semantic differential scale to rate subtypes of women: a menstruating woman, a menopausal woman, a pregnant woman, a premenstrual woman, a woman with a hysterectomy, a teenage girl, a woman in love, and a woman with a young baby. Americans reported significantly more negative attitudes than Mexicans did toward a menstruating woman, a premenstrual woman, a teenage girl, and a pregnant woman. Participants chose more positive words to describe a teenage girl, a woman in love, a pregnant woman, and a woman with a young baby, which is suggestive of a pronatal bias. Participants also completed the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI). Men scored significantly higher than women on hostile sexism. Mexicans scored significantly higher than Americans on both hostile and benevolent sexism. Sexism scores are related to attitudes toward premenstrual, menstruating, and menopausal women; women with a hysterectomy; and women with a young baby.

Perception and experience regarding menopause among menopaused women attending teaching hospitals in Erbil City

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The timing of menopause, perception as well as menopausal symptoms varies between populations and within populations. The main objective of the present study was to assess women's perception and experience regarding menopause, to find out symptoms and mean age of menopause and to study socio-demographic characteristics of menopaused women and to find out its relationship with their age at menopause and their knowledge about menopause.

METHODS

Over a period of eight months a descriptive cross sectional study were carried out at the outpatient departments of four teaching hospitals in Erbil city. A total of 500 menopaused women their age ranged from 40-60 years were interviewed using a close ended self administered questionnaire.

RESULTS

Mean age of menopause was 47.44 years with median age was 48 years, 4.4% had premature menopause and 23.6% had early menopause. The only factors that significantly associated with age at menopause were education and pattern of menstrual cessation and 93.4% of menopaused women were heard about menopause, 56.6% had prior knowledge of menopausal symptoms, cessation of menstruation was positive in 47.0% and 85.8% of women perceive menopause as natural condition and the most common menopausal symptoms were tiredness occurring in 83.2%.

CONCLUSION

Most of menopaused women perceive menopause as natural condition and not aware about hormone replacement therapy and the mean age of menopause is comparable to that mean reported in other part of Iraq. Among menopaused women tiredness was the most common complaint was followed by hot flushes and night sweats.

Examination of midlife women's attitudes toward menopause in Turkey

This study used a cross-sectional descriptive design to examine the attitudes of 154 Turkish women aged ≥ 40 years towards menopause. A questionnaire and the Menopause Attitudes scale were used. The mean score of the attitudes was determined as 34.70 ± 8.56. Most women in the study had negative attitudes towards menopause. The majority of women with positive attitudes were older, well educated and had used hormone replacement therapy (P < 0.05). Using multiple linear regression analysis, age and education level were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.001). A statistically significant difference was found between the women in the premenopausal and menopausal years in terms of sexuality after menopause (P < 0.05). This study suggests that Turkish women 40 years and older have negative attitudes towards menopause and their primary concern in the premenopausal period is sexuality after menopause. Counseling of women on menopause-related issues in gynecology clinics is recommended.

Treatment for the menopause in Central America: use, knowledge, perceptions and attitudes among urban living middle-aged women

BACKGROUND

Data on social and personal aspects of Central America are lacking in relation to hormone therapy (HT) and other treatments for the menopause.

OBJECTIVE

To gain information regarding the treatment of the menopause (HT/alternative): use, knowledge, perceptions and attitudes among middle-aged Central American women.

METHODS

A total of 720 urban living women (35-65 years) from six Central American countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama) were surveyed with a structured questionnaire that included socio-demographic data and information regarding the menopause and its treatment.

RESULTS

Participating countries displayed significant socio-demographic differences. Forty-one percent of all women were postmenopausal and 5.8% had no education at all. Knowledge regarding menopausal treatment options varied; while 27.2% (196/720) indicated HT as an option a higher rate (36.3%) either did not respond or answered not knowing anything. HT use for the whole sample was rather low 2.7% with differences seen among countries. 13.8% (27/196) indicated to have been on HT but abandoned treatment because of medical indication (51.9%), undesired side effects (29.6%) and costs (11.1%). While more than 50% considered HT served to replace hormones a smaller percentage (<14%) referred HT as bad for health, reduces cancer risk or has many side effects. 9.3% (67/720) acknowledged the existence of phytoestrogens as a menopausal treatment option, considering them as natural estrogens and good for health in 38.8% and 25.4%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

HT use in this mid-aged series was rather low in which the demography of Central America may be related factors. Education to women and physicians should be encouraged.

Relationships between menstrual and menopausal attitudes and associated demographic and health characteristics: the Hilo Women's Health Study

The objective of this study was to examine the relation of menstrual attitudes to menopausal attitudes and the demographic and health characteristics associated with each. This cross-sectional study consisted of a randomly selected sample of 1,824 respondents aged 16 to 100 years in multi-ethnic Hilo, Hawai'i. Women completed questionnaires for demographic and health information, such as age, ethnicity, education, residency in Hawai'i, menopausal status, exercise, and attitudes toward menstruation and menopause. Women more often chose positive terms, such as "natural," to describe menstruation (60.8%) and menopause (59.4%). In bivariate analyses, post-menopausal women were significantly more likely to have positive menstrual and menopausal attitudes than pre-menopausal women. Factor analyses were used to cluster attitudes followed by linear regression to identify demographic characteristics associated with factor scores. Asian-American ethnicity, higher education, reporting more exercise, and growing up outside of Hawai'i were associated with positive menstrual attitudes. Higher education, older age, post-menopausal status, growing up outside of Hawai'i and having hot flashes were associated with positive menopausal attitudes. Bivariate correlation analyses suggested significant associations between factor scores for menstrual and menopausal attitudes. Both negative and positive menstrual attitudes were positively correlated with the anticipation of menopause, although negative attitudes toward menstruation were negatively correlated with menopause as a positive, natural life event. Demographic variables, specifically education and where one grows up, influenced women's attitudes toward menstruation and menopause and should be considered for inclusion in subsequent multi-ethnic studies. Further research is also warranted in assessing the relationship between menstrual and menopausal attitudes.

Assessment of self-esteem in mid-aged women

OBJECTIVE

To assess self-esteem and affecting factors in a middle-aged Ecuadorian female population using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES).

STUDY DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional study in which 149 women (40-59 years) were requested to fill out the RSES and a general socio-demographic form containing personal and partner data.

RESULTS

Mean age of sample was 47.6+/-5.5 years, a 67.8% had less than 12 years of schooling and 33.6% were postmenopausal. At the moment of the survey 2.7% were on hormone therapy, and 2% were taking psychotropic drugs. Mean total RSES score was 26.6+/-3.1 (median 26, range 17-35). A 35.6% and 18.1% of women respectively presented total RSES scores below 26 (median) and 25 (25th percentile) suggesting lower self-esteem. Total scores did not differ when comparing older age, menopausal phases or time since the menopause. Logistic regression analysis determined that women with lower parity and an unhealthy partner were related to lower total RSES scores (below the 25th percentile) suggesting lower self-esteem.

CONCLUSIONS

In this mid-aged series lower self-esteem was not related to the aging process per se yet to socio-demographic female/male aspects. More research is needed in this regard that incorporates other sociological aspects.

Hormone therapy for the management of the menopause in Ecuador: perception, use and knowledge among middle-aged women

BACKGROUND

There is scant data on social and personal aspects related to the use of menopausal hormone therapy (HT) in Latin America.

OBJECTIVES

To obtain information regarding menopausal HT, i.e. use, perception, level and sources of knowledge, and to determine factors affecting several of these issues among middle-aged women of Guayaquil, Ecuador.

DESIGN

A total of 349 women (nursing staff), aged 40 years or more, were included in the present cross-sectional study. Participants completed a structured questionnaire including details related to HT and the reasons for not using it, as well as demographic and psychosocial data.

RESULTS

Only 50.1% of women considered HT beneficial. Current and former HT use was low (1.7% and 14.3%, respectively) and mean HT duration among former users was short (mean +/- standard deviation: 1.0 +/- 1.4 years). Women responded that the main reasons for not using HT were being asymptomatic (49.0%), non-established menopause (30.4%) and physician's advice (27.2%). Only 28.9% of women considered having enough information regarding HT, whereas a high percentage (93.1%) indicated willingness to participate in educational sessions addressing this issue. For most of the women the main sources of information were physicians, educational sessions and television. Logistic regression analysis determined that women with lower income and HT information did not consider HT beneficial at a higher rate than their counterparts. Premenopausal women and those with lower income were more prone to never HT use. Age and professional level were found to be confounding factors.

CONCLUSIONS

HT use in this population was low; hormonal status, economic income and level of HT information determined its use and benefit awareness.

Attitudes of Bahraini women towards the menopause: implications for health care policy

OBJECTIVES

To assess the attitudes of Bahraini women aged 30-64 years towards the menopause and to examine the relationship between attitudes of Bahraini women towards menopause and their sociodemographic data and reproductive characteristics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study of 260 Bahraini women attending primary health care centers was conducted. A multistage stratified and clustered random sampling technique was used. The women were interviewed using a questionnaire composed of Attitude Towards Menopause scale and sociodemographics.

RESULTS

The mean+/-S.D. of women's age and age at menopause were 45.04+/-9.43 and 48.67+/-2.92 years, respectively. Respondents' median age and median age at menopause were 45.5 and 48.0 years, respectively. Almost half of the women (48.5%) had completed high school or diploma, and 41.5% were currently employed outside home. Over half of the women (53.5%) were premenopausal, 19.6% perimenopausal and 26.9% were postmenopausal. The Mean Average Attitude Score (MAAS)+/-S.D. was 2.4+/-0.26 where the minimum score is 1 indicating very negative attitudes and the maximum is 4 indicating very positive attitudes. Statistically significant differences in means were noted among categories of educational level, menopausal status, and marital status. Moreover, MAAS was positively correlated with age of respondents. Premenopausal women had more negative attitudes towards menopause than peri- or postmenopausal women.

CONCLUSIONS

Bahraini women display a considerable range of attitudes towards the menopause, with their general attitudes ranging from neutral to positive. Postmenopausal women had more positive attitudes towards menopause than premenopausal women. Implications for health care policy were explored in this study.