Menopause and Quality of Life Among Greek Women in Rural Areas.

Abstract

Introduction The World Health Organization defines menopause as the permanent termination of ovarian function and the absence of menstruation for a minimum of 12 months. A woman's quality of life and health may be affected by menopause, a physiological condition that is typically accompanied by vasomotor, physical, and psychological disorders. Also, menopausal women experience a wide range of psychological symptoms, such as irritability, anxiety, sadness, and depression. Additional factors such as her marital status, financial level, educational level, physical activity, temperament, and attitude toward life greatly influence the intensity and frequency of the menopausal symptoms she will experience, as well as the level of quality of her life. Aim The purpose of this study is to evaluate the symptoms of menopause and investigate their impact on women's quality of life. Materials and methods The research was carried out in the wider region of Southern Evia. One hundred fifty menopausal women participated, and the anonymous Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) questionnaire was used to collect the data, which refers to menopausal symptoms and how they affect the women's quality of life. Results Among menopausal symptoms, feeling anxious or nervous (64.7%) and changes in skin appearance, texture, or tone (8%) were the most and least common symptoms, respectively. Women taking medication for various health problems had higher levels of psychosocial (p = 0.005) and physical symptoms (p = 0.003) and a higher overall MENQOL score compared to women not taking medication. The results of the present study concerning the correlation of the vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual dimensions, both with each other and with the overall MENQOL score, were statistically significant. This means that an increase in one score causes the rest to increase, thus affecting the quality of life of menopausal women overall. Conclusions Menopause is associated with multiple symptoms that affect women's quality of life. Health professionals should inform menopausal women about methods and treatments that will help them have a better quality of life. More studies should be conducted to investigate the role of demographic and social factors that affect how women perceive the severity, intensity, and resolution of menopausal symptoms.