Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms (MVS) survey for assessment of hot flashes.
OBJECTIVE
During the menopause, 65%-80% of women experience hot flashes. Hot flashes can also occur after hysterectomy and may be experienced during cancer therapy. A very limited assessment of hot flashes is provided by currently available menopausal instruments. This study was performed to evaluate a new Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms (MVS) survey as an instrument for a comprehensive and subjective assessment of hot flashes.


METHODS
The MVS survey was designed to assess multiple dimensions of hot flashes and to be simple and easy to administer. Hot flashes and associated conditions were addressed with 39 closed-ended questions. Sixty-one qualified women, 40-58 years old, from the Dallas, Fort Worth Metroplex area were enrolled. Women experiencing hot flashes took the survey at baseline and then 14 days, 2 months, and 6 months later. Factor analysis was performed. Face and content validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and sensitivity to changes were evaluated.


RESULTS
Fifty-two women (85.2%) completed all study sessions. The MVS survey was found to have good face and content validity and good internal consistency (rhoKR = 0.87). Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients at the 14-day retest varied from 0.58 to 1.00. As a result of these analyses, the MVS survey was further refined.


CONCLUSIONS
The MVS survey was found to be comprehensive, simple, valid, reliable, sensitive, and a convenient instrument for subjective assessment of various characteristics of hot flashes. The MVS survey may serve as a valuable clinical and research tool for measurement of hot flashes.
Ratka
Anna
A
Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Institute for Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Research, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas 76107, USA. aratka@hsc.unt.edu
Miller
Vanessa
V
Brown
Kimberly
K
Raut
Atul
A
Cipher
Daisha
D
Meczekalski
Blazej
B
Simpkins
James W
JW
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D013781:Texas; D016387:Women's Health