Influence of employment status on menopausal symptoms.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the variation of climacteric symptoms among working and nonworking postmenopausal Turkish women.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study enrolled a random sample of 132 women (66 employed, 66 not employed). Sociodemographic data were collected through a sociodemographic questionnaire. Menopause symptomatology was assessed using the Climacteric Complaint Tool.

RESULTS

All women had a similar sociodemographic background. A significantly greater percentage of nonworking women suffered from hot flushes, difficulty in sleeping, headache, irritability, depressive mood, muscle and joint pain, and urinary problems. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the employment status had a significant effect on the experience of climacteric symptoms even after adjustments for education status and income adequacy.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study indicates that the employment status might contribute to significant variations in climacteric symptomatology.