SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, BIOLOGICAL FACTORS, AND SYMPTOM REPORTING IN MIDLIFE WOMEN

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of so ciodemographic characteristics, reproductive hormones, and body compos ition on symptoms reported by generally well midlife women. Design: Th e design was a 24-cell, randomly selected quota sample, stratified by four occupations that varied in professional status, two races, and th ree age groups. One hundred fifty-three women, aged 35 to 69, who work ed 20 or more hours a week, who were not on hormone replacement therap y, who were not pregnant, and who did not have a hysterectomy prior to the age of 53 participated in the study. Data were collected al 10 em ployment sites. Symptoms were assessed by a 22-item symptom index. Ser um hormone levels of estradiol and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) were drawn for each woman, and body composition was assessed by body m ass index (BMI). Results: Chi-square tests showed that significantly m ore White women than Black women experienced nervous tension, loss of urine, and vaginal dryness. Analyses of variance showed that women exp eriencing hot flashes had significantly higher FSH levels, lower estra diol levels, and higher BMI than women not experiencing this symptom. Estradiol (odds ratio 0.988) and BMI (odds ratio 1.094) were significa nt predictors of experiencing hot flashes when entered into a stepwise logistic regression with age and FSH level as covariates. Conclusions : Findings suggest that symptoms experienced by midlife women are cons istent across races, and that interventions targeting weight reduction may improve hot flashes experienced by midlife women.