Obesity is related to increased menopausal symptoms among Spanish women

Objective. To assess the metabolic syndrome (METS) and its components in postmenopausal women using updated diagnostic criteria and explore their relation to menopausal symptom severity. Method. Medical records of the first visit of 574 postmenopausal Caucasian Spanish women attending a menopause clinic were retrospectively reviewed. Recorded information included general demographic data, type of menopause, menopausal symptom intensity (Kupperman index) and baseline hormonal and metabolic parameters. METS was established if three or more of the following criteria were met: body mass index (BMI) >28.8 kg/m², fasting glycaemia ≥100 mg/dL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) <50 mg/ dL, triglycerides ≥150 mg/dL and blood pressure ≥130/85 mmHg. Results. Mean ± SD age of the whole cohort was 49.9 ± 6.1 years, 66% had natural menopause and 38.9% were obese. In all, 23.1% met diagnostic criteria for METS who were significantly older and displayed higher rates of being married, obesity and abnormal glucose, triglyceride, HDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and blood pressure values, when compared with those without the syndrome. The mean Kupperman index score for the whole sample was 26.4±10.6, with 73.8% displaying moderate to severe scores (20 or more). Logistic regression analysis determined that obesity and marriage status were independent risk factors related to more severe menopausal symptoms (Kupperman index scores of 20 or more). Conclusion. Although METS was observed in a lower frequency than previous reports, obesity was associated with more severe menopausal symptoms among postmenopausal Spanish women.