Résumé
With respect to increased life expectancy and increased number of middle-age and old population, recognizing the problems and needs of people at these ages can help in promoting the health level of them particularly women. One of the problems of middle-age women is menopause. This descriptive study was conducted to determine the prevalence of menopausal symptoms in perimenopausal women in Kermanshah city. 460 women between 40 - 60 referring to 9 healthcare centers in Kermanshah city were randomly selected. Data were collocted by a questionnaire consisted of items regarding demographic characteristics, menstrual status, menopausal symptoms and Beck depression inventoiy scale Analysis of data showed that 39% of subjects were perimenopausal with mean age of 45.4 +/- 3.7. The majority of subjects was married [86%] and most of them [46%] had school diploma. The mean number of their children was 4 +/- 2. The prevalence of menopausal symptoms was as follows: hot flush [25.3%], night sweats [20.2%], sleep disturbance [36%], palpitation [18%], headache [30.9%], vaginal diyness [6.3%], joint pain [39.3%], vertigo [18%] and depression [39.3%]. Some demographic characteristics of women had correlation with menopausal symptoms such as age, number of children, level of education, educational level of husband, job and sport activities. The prevalence of menopausal symptoms at perimenopausal period was more than other studies in Asian countries and was similar to studies on Caucasian women in European countries. With respect to the prevalence of these symptoms and vulnerability of women, researchers recommend consultation for recognizing and treating these symptoms in middle-age women