The relationship of menopausal symptoms with body mass index in peri and postmenopause women

Objective: In this study it was aimed to investigate the relationship between the severity of symptoms experienced by woman in the peri and postmenopause period with body mass index and waist to hip ratio. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in a 'Family Health Centre' in İstanbul. The sampling of the study consisted of 220 woman between the ages of 45 to 65 who were in the period of perimenopause (n=50) and postmenopause (n=170). 'Case Diagnosis Form ' and 'Menopause Rating Scale' were used to collect the data. Data on body mass index and waist to hip ratio were obtained by measuring by the researcher. Data analyzed in SPSS 20 version. Result: The average age in women was 47,28 ± 2,29 in the perimenopause group, 54,40 ± 5,14 in the postmenopause group, and the education of women in both groups was generally at primary school level. It was observed that more than half (52,3%) of women in postmenopausal women were obese, while the majority of those in perimenopause (44,0%) were obese and candidates for obesity. Near all women in both groups, BKO was determined as 0,72 ↑. In general, women in postmenopausal period were found to experience menopausal complaints more than women in perimenopause (p <0,001) and the most common symptom was hot flashes (p <0,001). It was determined that women who were obese experienced more general complaints of menopause and especially somatic complaints (p <0,05- p <0,001). In terms of BKO, it was found that especially women with BKO below 0,72 experience genitourinary complaints a little more (p <0,05). Conclusion: It was concluded that woman in postmenopause period experience all their complaints more than woman in perimenapouse period and obesity increases menopausal complaints. Keywords: Menopause, perimenopause, postmenopause, menopausal symptoms, obesity