Depression and its link to other symptoms in menopausal transition

• Main Authors: R. Muharam, Martina Wiwie Setiawan, Muhammad Ikhsan, Herdinda Erudite Rizkinya, Kanadi Sumapraja
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SpringerOpen 2018-03-01
• Series: Middle East Fertility Society Journal
• Subjects: Beck depression inventory; Depression; Menopause; Premenopause; Menopause rating scale
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110569017300456

Background: Menopausal transition may occur between 45 and 55 years old and take 3–9 years. During this transition, the hormonal changes may contribute to the physical and psychological complaints in women. One of the psychological complaints is a sign of depression. However, not all of the women will experience those complaints. Objective: To assess the relationship between depression in menopause transition and other menopausal symptoms and factors contribute to depression among Indonesian people. Methods: Cross-sectional study on 133 female subjects between 45 and 55 years old. Depression measured using Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and menopausal symptoms were collected using Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). The comparison and relation were assessed for every aspect regarding depression and menopausal symptoms. Results: Out of 133 subjects, depression was found in 17 subjects (12.8%). Somato-vegetative symptoms were complained by 50.4% and urogenital symptoms by 75.9% subjects. There was significant correlation between depression and somato-vegetative (p = 0.008) as well as urogenital complaints among women who underwent menopause transition (p = 0.016). These findings were consistent with previous studies. Conclusion: Depression on menopausal transition significantly correlated with somato-vegetative and urogenital symptoms among women. Future investigations should be conducted with a cohort design to observe mood alterations during the menopause transition.