Abstract / Summary
Introduction: The climacteric and menopausal phases are accompanied by significant hormonal changes that may cause physical and psychological symptoms capable of affecting women's life satisfaction. Objective: To evaluate symptomatology and its relationship with life satisfaction among women in the climacteric and menopausal phases. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 85 female public-school teachers, aged 42 to 59 years, residing in municipalities in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Sociodemographic characteristics were assessed, and the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), consisting of three domains-psychological, somatovegetative, and urogenital-was administered, along with the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) and body mass index (BMI) assessment. Results: Among the participants, the predominant age group was 42-48 years (44.7%), with 56.5% in the premenopausal period. Symptoms of moderate to severe intensity were observed in 69.4% of the women, with a mean overall MRS score of 14.33 ±9.05 points. Regarding the SWLS, 82.4% of the women were satisfied with their lives. Among women who were dissatisfied with life, scores were higher across all MRS domains. Regarding nutritional status assessed by BMI, overweight was prevalent (63.5%). Conclusion: The study demonstrated a higher prevalence of symptoms in the psychological and somatovegetative domains, particularly among women who were dissatisfied with their lives. Nevertheless, most women reported satisfaction with life, which may mitigate the negative impacts of the climacteric period. These findings reinforce the importance of an approach focused on women's physical and emotional well-being.