title: Impact of age and body mass on the intensity of menopausal symptoms in 5968 Brazilian women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relationship of onset of menopause and body mass on the menopausal symptoms in post-menopausal Brazilian women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational study conducted by the selection and inclusion of 5968 Brazilian women after menopause. The following variables were analyzed in this study: time at menopause; the relationship between age at menarche and age at menopause; vasomotor symptoms compared with age at the time of menopause and the time of menopause; Kupperman menopausal index (KMI) versus total time of menopause; body mass index (BMI) compared to the time of menopause, vasomotor symptoms, and KMI total score. We used the Chi-square test, and the significance level was set at 5%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The age at natural menopause ranged from 41 to 62 years (mean 48.1 ± 4.07 years). A younger age at menopause was associated with a high intensity of vasomotor symptoms. These symptoms were more intense in the first 5 years of menopause and decreased with time. The KMI total also decreased with time after menopause, with the exception of arthralgia, myalgia, and insomnia, which did not tend to improve over time. In addition, the vasomotor symptoms and total KMI were more frequent with increasing BMI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggested that the age of menopause and BMI may influence the intensity of vasomotor symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Angela Maggio
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Da Fonseca
authors.forename: Vicente Renato
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Bagnoli
authors.forename: Marilene Alícia
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Raymundo Soares
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Azevedo
authors.forename: Euro De Barros
authors.initials: Ede B
authors.lastname: Couto
authors.forename: José Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: Edmund Chada
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Baracat
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000503:physiopathology