Relationships between beliefs on menopause and menopausal symptoms. The prospective study with Polish women

Abstract

Background: Within bio-psycho-social model of reproductive health hormonal changes are insufficient to explain severity and variety of menopausal symptoms. Other factors include individual beliefs on menopause. Negative attitudes affect symptoms’ intensity but opposite is equally possible. The analysis of the direction of relationship between beliefs and symptoms was the primary objective of the prospective study with menopausal women. Methods: Participant were 86 women. Polish versions of Menopause Symptoms List by J. Perz and Menopause Representation Questionnaire by M. Hunter & I. O’Dea were administered twice at seven months interval (time 1, time 2). To examine changes of symptoms and beliefs t-test for dependent samples was used. Two series of regression analyses were performed with either time 2 symptoms or time 2 menopause related beliefs as dependent variables. Findings: Symptoms frequency and intensity increased with time (p<0.01). Women became more convinced of negative consequences of menopause (p<0.02), long duration of menopausal transition (p<0.001) and of their control over menopausal changes (p<0.001). The consistent predictors of symptoms were time 1 beliefs of negative consequences of menopause and of short duration of menopausal transition. The first increased, while the later decreased the reported frequency and intensity of symptoms (R2 range 0.07-0.17). Time 1 symptoms predicted time 2 beliefs. Less vasomotor symptoms were related to positive beliefs, while more psychological symptoms to negative beliefs on menopause (R2 range 0.06-0.18). Discussion: Symptoms and beliefs are interrelated, however the pattern of relationships is more consistent when beliefs are analyzed as predictors of menopausal symptoms.