Symptom reporting around the menopause in Beirut, Lebanon

Objectives: to assess the extent to which women in Beirut suffer from sympt oms in the course of the menopause transition, and to measure the medical m anagement of menopause. Methods: a survey was carried out on a representati ve sample of 298 women; the questionnaire collected information on responde nts' sociodemographic characteristics, life circumstances, general health, and reproductive health; it also included a symptom checklist, questions on the management of menopausal symptoms, and lifestyle questions. Results: t he article documents the frequencies of various symptoms associated with ag ing and menopause; the number of symptoms reported by respondents is negati vely associated with employment, but other associations with sociodemograph ic variables are not significant; smoking is found to be high in the study population and is associated with the occurrence of hot flashes, but its as sociation with other menopausal symptoms is not significant; over a third o f the women seek help in dealing with the symptoms they experience, 15% use hormone replacement therapy, and 20% use calcium supplements. (C) 1999 Els evier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.