Abstract
An inevitable part of the aging process for women is the transition from a reproductive to post-reproductive state. A range of symptoms associated with menopause are reported by midlife women, yet they remain relatively poorly understood. We aimed to assess the prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms and their occurrence by menopausal status in a cross-sectional analysis of 672 female participants from the Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life Study, a population-based study. Participants had an average age of 50.6 ± 1.5 years and were classified as premenopausal (n=219), perimenopausal (n=236) or postmenopausal (n=217). Symptoms were measured using the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), a validated health-related quality of life measure which produces a total score and scores on three subscales: psychological, somatic and urogenital. Across any menopausal stage, the most common symptoms were sleep problems (31.5%), joint and muscular discomfort (23.5%), hot flushes/sweating (19%) and physical and mental exhaustion (18.9%). Moderate to severe levels of total symptoms were reported by 2.6% of premenopausal women, compared to 8% of perimenopausal women and 8.8% of postmenopausal women. The prevalence of moderate to severe urogenital symptoms increased from 9.1% in premenopause, to 11% in perimenopause and 19.8% in postmenopause. Rates of moderate to severe somatic symptoms increased with advancement in menopause stage, while rates of moderate to severe psychological symptoms were higher in perimenopausal women. Our findings reveal that menopausal symptoms affect midlife women at various stages of reproductive aging, with the perimenopausal and postmenopausal stages associated with more severe and distressing symptoms.