The age at natural menopause and the frequency of climacteric symptoms in Chinese women

Objectives: To estimate the age at natural menopause and the frequency of climacteric symptoms in Chinese women.Design: A cross-sectional study of randomly recruited 788 women, aged 45 to 55 years in Beijing.Results: The mean age at natural menopause was 48. 2 years. there was a trend that women with more parities, more babies breast fed or longer duration of breastfeeding had a delayed age at natural menopause. Higher socio-economic status was related to a later cessetion of menstruation. Vasomotor and psychological symptoms increased during menopause transition. However, psychological disorders tended to decrease after the menopause. Bone-joint problems were inversely associated with daily activi-ty or physical exercise. Perimenopausal women experienced the most frequent climacteric symptoms.Conclusion: The menopausal age was influenced by reproductive factors and socio-economic status-Vasomotor and psychological symptoms were associated with the menopausal status. However, bone-joint problems was not.