title: Relationship between women's attitude towards menopause and quality of life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to assess the symptoms of women and to describe the relationship between women's attitude towards menopause and quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted from November 2010 to April 2011 at Celal Bayar University Faculty of Medicine and 494 women agreed to participate in the study. Women's attitudes towards menopause and quality of life were evaluated by Menopause-specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) questionnaires.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women with no education had the highest scores for vasomotor, psychosocial and physical cluster symptoms (4.1 ± 2.0, 3.1 ± 1.6, 3.2 ± 1.4, respectively). Vasomotor (4.0 ± 1.9) and physical quality-of-life scores (3.2 ± 1.40) were significantly higher among housewives. Psychosocial (3.6 ± 1.8) and physical scores (3.5 ± 1.5) of women who had no health insurance were found to be higher. The highest scores reported by the women were as follows: vasomotor, physical, psychosocial and sexual cluster (3.8 ± 1.9, 3.1 ± 1.4, 2.9 ± 1.6, 2.7 ± 1.8, respectively). Women with a negative attitude towards menopause were associated with more frequently reported symptoms compared to women with a positive attitude. The women whose relationships with their husband were negatively affected had higher vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual symptom scores (4.2 ± 1.7, 3.7 ± 1.7, 3.5 ± 1.5, 3.5 ± 1.8). Similarly, the vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual symptom scores were high in women who declared an unfavorable relationship with their children (4.5 ± 1.8, 3.8 ± 1.6, 3.7 ± 1.4, 3.2 ± 1.9).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health-care professionals should understand women's attitudes towards menopause, in order to give optimal information and help the women create positive attitudes and healthy perceptions of this period of life.
authors.affiliation: School of Health, Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yanikkerem
authors.forename: S Oruc
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Koltan
authors.forename: A Goker
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Tamay
authors.forename: Ş
authors.initials: Ş
authors.lastname: Dikayak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology; D008593:Menopause / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018454:Spouses; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health