CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS IN A POSTMENOPAUSAL CZECH POPULATION

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of climacteric symptoms and the u se of hormone replacement therapy in a former eastern European country . All 55-, 57-, 59- and 61-year-old women in Kladno in the Czech Repub lic were asked to participate in the study. Method: In 1993, 1505 wome n in Kladno of the Czech Republic were sent a postal questionnaire con cerning age at menopause and their climacteric symptoms. Results: Answ ers were received from 799 women (53%); 98% were postmenopausal. The m edian age at spontaneous menopause was 50 years, 49.5 years among wome n smoking at least 5 cigarettes/day and 51.0 years among non-smokers ( P < 0.05). About every fifth woman smoked. Totally 22% of the women ha d undergone hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy and 3% had been treated f or a gynaecological malignancy. The majority of the women (58%) report ed ongoing vasomotor symptoms; half of them had moderate to severe vas omotor symptoms. In all, 79% of the women reported ever having vasomot or symptoms. Only 3% of the women had ever tried hormone replacement t herapy (HRT) and one woman had. current treatment. Dysuria was reporte d by 22% and 4% had recurrent urinary tract infections; 70% of the wom en had a partner and 50% were sexually active. Reasons for not being s exually active were mostly lack of a partner, loss of sexual desire or partner's disease or impotence. Conclusion: Climacteric symptoms incl uding vasomotor and urogenital symptoms had the same prevalence in the Czech Republic as previously reported in other Western Countries. Onl y a few women had tried HRT. Smokers had a slightly earlier menopause.