CLIMATÉRIO E QUALIDADE DE VIDA: ANÁLISE DAS PACIENTES ATENDIDAS NO AMBULATÓRIO DE GINECOLOGIA DO HOSPITAL UNIVERSITÁRIO LAURO WANDERLEY DA UFPB

Abstract

Introduction: The climacteric period is defined as the transition between the reproductive and non-reproductive periods and is a physiological process in women's life. The hormonal changes characteristic of this phase have a significant impact on women's lives, and may compromise aspects of their quality of life. Objective: To characterize a population of climacteric women treated at a university hospital regarding their sociodemographic profile and the presence of symptoms related to menopause, in search of the risk factors involved. Methods: 175 women were interviewed in a gynecological outpatient clinic with sociodemographic data collection, as well as the application of the Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ) to assess common climacteric symptoms. These data were crossed in the SPSS 26.0 program with frequency analysis, chi-square test and quantification of the odds ratio. In addition to logistic regression to assess the strength of association of the variables and the occurrence of symptoms. Results: Regarding the sociodemographic profile, the mean age was 50.7 years, and they were mostly non-white, with a partner, received less than 2 minimum wages, with children and who had not undergone a hysterectomy. Regarding the distribution in the QSM domains, 85% of the interviewees scored more than 2.2. The variables income and race showed a direct association with depression and vasomotor symptoms, respectively. An interesting association found in this study concerns the relationship between performing a hysterectomy with the Memory/Concentration (p=0.036) and anxiety (0.033) domains, where hysterectomized women would be more likely to affect these domains. Conclusion: The results of this study show that among the nine domains of the Women's Health Questionnaire, seven were above the overall average. For the QSM, mean values greater than 2.2 are considered possible cases of low quality of life. These findings show that the population studied lacks local health policies that provide them with a better quality of life.