Principales manifestaciones clínicas, psicológicas y de la sexualidad en un grupo de mujeres en el climaterio y la menopausia

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the clinical, psychological and sexuality manifestations of women aged 40-59 from Lisa, Playa and Marianao municipalities that were seen at the outpatient department for climacteric women of "Eusebio Hernández" Teaching Hospital from January 2006 to January 2007. Patients with artificial menopause, previous hormonal treatments, and severe, chronic or thyroid diseases were excluded. They were divided into two groups: perimenopausal and postmenopausal. The following variables were analyzed: suffocating heat, sweating, cramps, palpitations, headache, muscular and articular pains, weight gain, sleep disorders, axillary and pubic hair loss, ardor urinae, urinary incontinence and anxiety, depression, handicap feeling, reduction of the capacity to make decisions, apathy, dysphoria, loss of memory, presence or not of a stable partner, satisfaction, decrease of sexual desire, reduction of communication with the partner, and dyspareunia. Statistical tests of central trend and their confidence intervals, as well as the Chi square test with significance of 5 % were used. It was concluded that the cramps in hands and feet predominated in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women (79.5 % y 82.4 %, respectively). Suffocating heats also prevailed in these women (53.8 %, in perimenopausal and 76.5 %, in postmenopausal). Sleep disorders predominated in the perimenopausal, who showed significant differences compared with the postmenopausal. Anxiety and depression were the most common psychic manifestations. In the sexual sphere, it was observed a prevalence of the reduction of sexual desire in the perimenopausal (26.5 %) and of unsatisfaction in the postmenopausal (58.3 %).