Severe menopausal symptoms in middle-aged women are associated to female and male factors

Mean age of surveyed women (n = 404) was 48.2 ± 5.7 years, 85.1% had 12 or less years of schooling and 44.8% were postmenopausal. None was on hormonal therapy (HT) for the menopause or psychotropic drugs. Regarding their partner, erectile dysfunction was present in 23.8%, premature ejaculation in 21.2% and 43.5% abused alcohol. The four most frequently found symptoms of those composing the MRS were muscle and joint problems (80%), depressive mood (73.5%), physical and mental exhaustion (71.3%) and irritability (68%). Mean total MRS score was 18 ± 10.6 (median 17) and for subscales: 7.2 ± 4.5 (somatic); 6.9 ± 4.8 (psychological) and 3.9 ± 3.4 (urogenital). Women presented severe scores in 53, 36.1, 48.3 and 49.8% for total MRS and somatic, psychological and urogenital subscales, respectively. After adjusting for confounding factors, logistic regression analysis determined that female higher parity and partner premature ejaculation increased the risk for presenting severe total MRS scores (impaired female quality of life), whereas women who had a positive perception of their health status were at decreased risk.