title: Assessment of symptoms of menopause and their severity among Saudi women in Riyadh.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Research on menopause in Arab women is limited. The aim of our study was to assess the commonly experienced symptoms of menopause and their severity among Saudi women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study conducted at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred and ninety healthy women aged 40-55 years and either attending KKUH themselves or accompanying their relatives in outpatient clinics participated in the study. The Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) was used to assess menopausal symptoms and severity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean (SD) age of the women in menopause was 47.9 (6.03) years. The most frequent symptoms were muscle and joint problems occurring in 411 women (83.9%), physical and mental exhaustion in 393 (80.2%), heart discomfort in 358 (73.1%), sleeping disorders in 349 (71.2%), hot flashes in 348 (71.0%), and irritability in 348 (71.0%); in addition, 179 (36.5%) of these women experienced severe psychological distress. Perimenopausal women had higher total and subscales scorings for somatic symptoms than did premenopausal and postmenopausal women (P=.008).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The number of Saudi women reporting hot flashes and night sweats was comparable to the number of Western women. In addition, somatic symptoms were more prevalent among perimenopausal than among premenopausal women.
authors: Princess Nora Bent Abdullah Chair for Women's Health Research, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. jalquaiz@yahoo.com
authors: AlJoharah M
authors: AM
authors: AlQuaiz
authors: Salwa A
authors: SA
authors: Tayel
authors: Fawzia Ahmed
authors: FA
authors: Habiba
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D047648:Perimenopause / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013546:Sweating