Psychological and Psychosomatic Symptoms of the Climacteric

We have investigated the psychological and psychosomatic symptoms associated with the climacteric. Three hundred and seventy-one middle-aged women filled in a 27-item self-administered questionnaire, each item referring to one of six psychological dimensions: significance of menstruation and pregnancy, disturbance of instinctual life, mood fluctuations, psychic conflicts, difficulties in interpersonal relationships and psychosomatic symptoms. The women were asked to rate the frequency of each symptom on a 4-point scale. The control group consisted of 58 fertile women without gynaecological problems. Mean total scores and mean scores reported for each of the six dimensions were calculated and analyzed by one-way analysis of variance. Psychological symptoms were reported by middle-aged women significantly more frequently. Disturbances of instinctual life and psychosomatic symptoms seem to be specifically associated with the climacteric.