Menopause signals the cessation of fertility and accompanies changes in health status. To find the mean age and factors affecting menopause, a retrospective study was conducted on a community sample of women with cessation of menstruation for at least 12 months at the end of reproductive years (>40 years). A sample of 810 women was selected with cluster sampling. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and interview. The mean age of menopause was 47.19±5.31 years and prevalence of premature menopause was 13.8%. The mean age of menopause was higher in women with last pregnancy at an age more than 35 years, with higher age of first pregnancy, with history of using oral contraceptives and in women with type II diabetes mellitus, and with multiparty (P<0.05). There was an unexplained high prevalence of premature menopause, which needs more attention.

Background: Depression is the commonest psychiatric disorder in women. Menopausal symptoms include hot flashes, sleep disturbance, irritability, and vaginal dryness, which can give rise to depression in postmenopausal women.Objectives: This study aimed to determine the factors affecting and associated with depression in postmenopausal women.Patients and Methods: In this descriptive analytical research, 250 postmenopausal women who referred to health centers in Ahvaz were selected through an easy sampling method and studied. The beck depression inventory, the menopause rating scale (MRS) Questionnaire, and demographic information sheets were used to collect data. The collected data were analyzed with Pearson correlation coefficients, Spearman, chi-square, and one-way ANOVA.Results: The mean depression score was 12.17 ± 8. The total MRS mean in this study is 13.04 ± 8.01. The somatic dimension had the highest score, the mean of which was 5.48 ± 3.28. We found a significant relationship between depression score and MRS scores in all three dimensions (P < 0.001). The results did not show any correlation of depression score with mean age, age of menopause, body mass index, waist circumference, or waist-to-hip ratio (P>0.05). However, the level of education was significantly associated with depression (P<0.001).Conclusions: Increase in menopausal symptoms is associated with a higher severity of depression. Diagnosis and treatment of menopausal symptoms is therefore recommended to reduce depression.

Background: Investigation of influence factors in menopausal age could be helpful for better health service of women. In the present study we investigated the influence of syadat factor on menopausal age.Methods: During this descriptive- analytic study, 280 women at menopausal age were investigated at two equal groups. One of them was case group and another was control group. The study population included the 36-60 aged women with history of normal menstrual periods and at least one year amenorrhea. The excluded factors were the history of systemic disorders before menopause such as hypertension, kidney failure, diabet mellitus, smoking, (athlete’s women) professional sport and hysterectomy o ooforectomy. Two groups were matched for gravidity, breast feeding duration, use of OCP and their mother’s menopausal age. Data were collected by questioners and then was used for descriptive statistics and analyzed by t-test and X2.Results: The mean menopausal age among the all 280 women at study was 50.8 years old. 22% of them were under 40 years old, 44% between 45-50 and 33% older than 50. The mean menopausal age among the 140 women in control group was 49.9± 3.62 and it was 51.7± 4.7 in sadat (Those from prophet Mohammad family) that is 1.8 years more than general population. T-TEST, and X2 (P =0) showed that this difference is important. There was no significant relation between menopausal age and education, weight, use of oral contraception pill, parity and years of breastfeeding, mothers and sisters menopausal age were significant independent predictors of the timing of natural menopause.Conclusion: Study showed that sadat experience menopause in older age than others. This study also showed that the menopausal age inherited from father as such as mother.

Objectives: Early menopause is shown to correlate with an increased rate of cardiovascular diseases with age advancement. Smoking, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), and the socio-economic level are consistently linked with the onset of menopause though there is no consensus on the residential factor. Considering the undesirable relation of menopause with women’ s health, the present review sought to identify the correlation between the rural-urban factor and natural menopausal age. Methods: A comprehensive literature search, covering publications from 1984 to 2017, was done using several databases such as MEDLINE, PubMed, and Google scholar. Evidence from 13 research articles was analyzed for a rural-urban difference in natural menopausal age. The search was later expanded to explore correctable confounding factors such as smoking habits, physical activities, and BMI. Results: Rural women in the Asian region appeared to reach their natural menopausal age earlier than their urban counterparts. This was in contrast with the majority of findings in the non-Asian regions, suggesting a regional variation in the rural-urban difference in natural menopausal age. Based on the findings, earlier menopausal age was related to smoking prevalence and this relationship was consistent in both Asian and non-Asian regions. Similarly, higher physical activity was linked to the early age of natural menopause in both Asian and non-Asian regions. Finally, the results revealed the association between higher BMI and higher menopausal age in the Asian region although this association was not observed in the non-Asian regions. Conclusions: The rural-urban difference in menopausal age has regional variations with rural Asian women reaching menopause earlier than their urban counterparts, but this association was not replicated in the non-Asian regions. Eventually, this difference was affected by factors such as tobacco smoking, high physical activity, and BMI.

Background and purpose: Menopause is one of the four critical stages in women which make them vulnerable to effective, strong, persistant and permanent hormonal changes. Therefore, assessment of menopauseal age and its enfluencing factors are very important.Materials and methods: This is a descriptive study on rural and urban women living in mazandaran province whose menopausal period started 12 months before the study. Sampling was done through clastering method by calling in the houses of 3036 menopasual women.Data on demographic, anthropometric, obstetric menstruation, menopause, reproduction, breast feeding and stress were recorded in questionnaire. Weight, blood pressure and hight were measured and analyzed using statistical analysis of varionce, X2, regresion and t test.Results: Mean menopausal age of the women under study was 47.93 ± 4.37 and 3.7% of the women prior to 40 years of age were menopause. Statistical analysis did not show any statistical relationship between menopausal age and education, economic condition, BMI, being left handed, using contraceptive, history of menopause and stresses between the women with early and late menopause. Howere, there was significant relationship between age of menopause with profession, number of pregnancies, age of the latest pregnancies, menopausal age of mother and sister(P<0.05).Also this study showed that there is a significant relationship between the age of menopause in deferent cities of Mazandaran.Conclusion: Considering the low mean menopausal in this study and also in other studies done in Iran compared to developed countries and the complications due to low age of menopause, it is recommended that special clinics to be established for menopause women and more information and services be available to them.

Background: Menopause being the most critical period with unfavorable changes in anthropometric and metabolic parameters is associated with CVD risk. Metabolic syndrome is the key factor for cardiovascular diseases and has become a major problem in many countries. Noticing the high prevalence of metabolic syndrome, especially in women after menopause, this study was performed to investigate the relationship between menopausal age and metabolic syndrome in nonobese postmenopausal women.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional research, 140 healthy non-obese postmenopausal women who had a BMI less than 30 Kg/m2 were selected, in Ahvaz city in 2010. Data were obtained through interview that included demographic information (age, age at menarche, age at menopause, date of last menstrual period, and parity), BMI, values of HDL-C, FBS, TG serum after 12 hours fasting, blood pressure, and waist circumference. Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis were used. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the definition of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III.Results: Menopausal age with FBS (P=0.04) was negatively significant, but there was not any correlation between menopausal age and other components of metabolic syndrome [triglycerides (P=0.28), systolic blood pressure (P=0.80) diastolic blood pressure (P=0.48), waist circumference (P=0.08), HDL-C (P=0.65)].Conclusion: Late menopause has a favorable effect on fasting glucose.