Síntomas de la menopausia y necesidades de atención en mujeres de mediana edad

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of menopausal symptoms and the healthcare needs of women residents of the urban area of Lima, Peru, during the year 2024. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, and non-experimental research was carried out. Women between 40 and 70 years old attended in primary care health facilities participated. A non-probability sampling was used. Data collection was carried out using the Kupperman Index (overall reliability of 0.77). Three groups were analyzed: premenopausal, perimenopausal y postmenopausal, using the chi-square tests de Pearson. Results: 850 women were invited to participate and 63 were excluded. The average age was 51.1 years. 69.9% were married and/or cohabiting, 41.9% were engaged in housework, 71.3% did not seek medical help, and 86.5% did not use hormone therapy. The most frequent symptoms were fatigue (76.9%), headache (74.8%) and insomnia (71%). The most intense were sweating, hot flashes, paresthesia and sexual complaints. 46.9% had moderate symptoms and 8.4% had severe symptoms. No significant differences were found between age groups (p > 0.05). Women aged 55 to 59 years had a predominance of mild to moderate symptoms. There were significant differences between women who sought medical help for symptom management (p < 0.05). Conclusion: 76.9% of the women reported a higher frequency of fatigue, sweating, and hot flashes. According to the Kupperman Index, 8.4% had severe symptoms. Keywords: Menopause, menopause symptoms, menopause care (Source: MeSH-NLM).