Menopausal Symptoms and Their Impact on the Sexual Quality of Life

The aim of this study was to determine the menopausal symptoms in women and their relationship with the sex life. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the menopause outpatient clinic of a university hospital. The sample consisted of 178 postmenopausal women. Data was collected by using a form which was developed by the researchers. In addition "Menopause Symptoms Rating Scale (MRS)" and "Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire-Female (SQLQ-F)" were used. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS for the Windows Evaluation version 15.0 program. The pearson correlation test was used for statistical analyses. A value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The average of menopause age was 45.85 +/- 3.78. MRS total score of the women was found as 18.17 +/- 12.07. Most of the menopausal complaints of women were sexual problems (81.6%), hot flashes and sweats (63.0%). SQLQ-F total score of the women was found as 62.30 +/- 20.17. It shows that quality of sexual life of women were moderate. There are significant statistically between SQLQ-F and MRS scores. The quality of sex life decreased as the menopausal symptoms increased (p < 0.001). In this study, it was shown that women's SQLQ-F and MRS total scores were moderate. Menopausal symptoms are affected sexual life of women negatively. For this reason, nurses and health care institutions must give information to women about sexual life and psychologic consultancy services during menopause.