Severity of climacteric symptoms and associated factors in postmenopausal women: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: To determine the severity of climacteric symptoms and the factors associated with moderate or severe symptoms among

postmenopausal women attending the Gynecology service of a hospital in Lima during 2025.

Methods: An observational, analytical, cross-sectional study with prospective data collection was conducted in 200

postmenopausal women. A form covering biological and socioeconomic characteristics and the Cuban Climacteric Scale were

administered. For the analysis of associated factors, symptom severity was grouped as absent/mild versus moderate/severe. Crude

and adjusted prevalence ratios (cPR and aPR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated. Analyses were performed

using Stata 16.

Results: Seventy-three participants (36.5%) had moderate or severe symptoms. In the adjusted analysis, a higher number of

children was associated with a higher prevalence of moderate/severe symptoms (aPR=1.23 per additional child; 95% CI: 1.07-1.43;

p=0.005), as was smoking (aPR=3.11; 95% CI: 1.95-4.98; p<0.001). Age, sexual activity, and occupation were associated in crude

analyses but were no longer statistically significant after adjustment. Only four participants reported smoking; therefore, this

estimate should be interpreted cautiously.

Conclusions: More than one-third of the evaluated postmenopausal women had moderate or severe climacteric symptoms.

Number of children and smoking were independently associated with a higher prevalence of moderate/severe symp