Health symptoms during midlife in relation to menopausal transition: British prospective cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To characterise symptoms experienced by women during the transition into natural menopause, to classify women into distinct symptom profiles or trajectories, and to relate these profiles to sociodemographic factors and health behaviours.

Design

Nationally representative cohort study.

Setting

England, Scotland, and Wales.

Participants

695 women followed-up since birth in 1946 and annually from age 47 to 54 who experienced natural menopause and reported on 20 common health symptoms.

Main outcome measure

Longitudinal profiles for reported bothersome symptoms.

Results

Of 20 individual symptoms, 18 formed into four stable symptom groups: psychological, somatic, vasomotor, and sexual discomfort. Using latent class analyses, all except the soma

SUBMITTER: Mishra GD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3275131 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature