Introduction:

the menopausal manifestations should be studied by ethnic considerations.

Objective:

to identify the most prevalent menopausal manifestations and to evaluate quality of life according to menstrual states.

Methods:

this study is a part of CAVIMEC [Quality of Life in Menopause and Colombian Ethnic Groups], performed with Cervantes Scale, which evaluates CV in menopause, in 646 Afro-Colombians, aged 40-59 years, living in populations of the Caribbean and Pacific.

Results:

mean age 48.7±5.7 years, 69.1% with obesity/ overweight, 22.7% with university/technological studies and 40.5% postmenopausal. The most prevalent manifestations: hot flashes 76.4%; suffocation 73.1%; Muscle/joint pain 71.3%; they couldn’t sleep 61.8%; easy sweating episode 55.8%; dry skin 50.4% and headache that increased during the day 44.2%. The third part could not be good by the nerves, things like boring, lost the ability to relax or noticed that everyone was spinning 24.4% had less interest in sex and 14.4% had not significant sexuality. Postmenopausal women had worse scores in most of the manifestations and in the domains of health, psychic, sexuality, relationship, vasomotor, health, aging and global.

Conclusion:

hot flashes, suffocations and muscle/ joint pain were the manifestations most prevalent, in seven out of ten. Postmenopausal women had worse quality of life.

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