Assessment of the Relationship between Menopausal Symptoms and Severity of Depression in Postmenopausal Women

Symptoms like hot flashes and night sweating, atrophic vaginitis, osteoporosis, increase of heart diseases and possibility of depression result from menopause and cessation of menses. Menopausal symptoms may cause depression but existence of a relationship between menopausal symptoms and severity of depression is doubtful. Therefore, this research is done with the objective of assessing the relationship between menopausal symptoms and severity of depression in postmenopausal women. Method and materials: In this descriptive correlation research, 60 menopausal women who referred to Mashad menopausal and gynecologic clinics were studied. They had no history of psychiateric disorders, chronic disease, smoking and use of narcotics, hystrectomy or oophorectomy. Evaluations for BMI, BP, laboratory test, a pelvic and breast examination, Beck depression inventory were done at first. If they had a beck depression inventory score of more than 9, demographic characteristics, cassidy social support, uzeng self-steem by interview and blat menopausal symptoms, attitude to hormone replacment therapy and menopause by subjects, were answered. Data were analyzed by utilizing T test, pearson correlation, one way Anova with SPSS software. Findings showed that the mean depression score and duration of amenorrea were 19/4±7/9 and 36/6 ± 4/8, respectivly. In a total of 60 women, borderline depression was 26/8%, mild depression 26/8%, moderate depression 26/8% and sever depression 14/3%. 62/5% participants reported hot flash, 73/2% bone pain, 26/8 breast pain, 41/1% headeche, 67/9% numbness, 57/1% skin crawls, 46/4% urinary incontinence, 19/6% dysuria, 22/1% dysparonia and 64/3% complained of low sexual desire. There was no significant relationship between mean of depression score and severity of menopausal symptoms, but dysuria. Depression scores in women without dysuria (20/47 versus 15/18) was significantly higher (p<0/05) compared with those without dysuria. According to the result of this research, menopausal symptoms had no effect on severity of depression. So another extensive study with a different cause of depression is recommended.