A Cross-sectional Survey of Menopausal Status, Symptoms and Psychological Distress in a Community Sample of Australian Women

Abstract

While many researchers assume the menopause to be an endocrine deficiency disease, others argue that menopause is normally non-traumatic, associated with few and minor symptoms. An Australian sample of 304 female volunteers (128 pre-menopausal, 35 peri-menopausal, 80 post- menopausal and not taking hormone replacement therapy, 61 post-menopausal and taking hormone replacement therapy) completed the Women's Health Questionnaire and the Profile of Mood States. There were differences among the groups on some symptoms, although the only difference between the post-menopausal groups was on vasomotor symptoms. There were no between-group differences in depression, anxiety or mood states, nor did demographic variables affect these measures. There was no evidence that post-menopausal women experienced increased psychological distress, supporting the hypothesis that menopause is not particularly distressing for normal women.