title: Climacteric complaints and their relation to menopausal development--a retrospective analysis.
abstract: The present study had two objectives: (1) to register the prevalence of a number of climacteric complaints in a Danish general population cohort and (2) retrospectively to test the validity of an association between climacteric complaints, menopausal development, occurrence of life events and social background. A postal questionnaire sent to the 51-year-old female population living in four Copenhagen suburbs, (N = 597, response rate = 88%) included information on menstrual pattern and change, hormonal treatment, socioeconomic data and a 4-year retrospective annual registration of prevalence of a number of climacteric complaints and life events. Logistic regression analyses performed on a restricted sample (women who experienced a natural menopausal development) revealed prevalence of hot flushes, moodiness and fatigue to be significantly associated with transitions in menopausal status. Fatigue, moodiness and depression were strongly associated with socio-economic variables. Life events were only occasionally associated with prevalence of the studied complaints.
authors.affiliation: Glostrup Hospital, University of Copenhagen.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Køster
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davidsen
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D002979:Climacteric; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies