Knowledge and Perception toward Menopause among Saudi Women Attending Primary Care Clinics; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background: Menopause is a period in woman life that characterized by the permanent cessation of menses. Several symptoms can be experienced by the female as a result of menses cessation including hot flushes and mood swings, these symptoms may affect her life. Objective: To assess the knowledge and perception toward menopause and to identify factors that may affect the knowledge and perception of Saudi women attending general clinics, Al Wazarat health center, Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC), Riyadh. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in November 2017. In total, 374 women aged 20-60 years were randomly interviewed using questionnaire interviewer-administered. The interview was based on a validated Arabic translated version of the pre-designed and validated questionnaire used on a previous similar study with adoption to our setting. Results: Of the 374 women, a total of 362 questionnaires/interviews were completed with a response rate of 96%. About half of our population (51.38%) showed good knowledge. About ninety percent (89.2%) were not aware of any menopausal age diseases and (98.9%) were not aware of any treatments available for menopausal symptoms. Participants in their thirties and those who were married had more knowledge than other participants, also women with primary or intermediate education and housewives had more knowledge than other women. Regarding perception, 97.23% of participants had a positive perception. Conclusion: Level of knowledge is considered average compare to similar studies but there were areas that showed significate lack of knowledge, about ninety percent (89.2%) were not aware of any menopausal age-related diseases and (98.9%) were not aware of any treatments available for menopausal symptoms. We have much more positive perception than similar studies. Family Medicine and Primary Care: Open Access Alharthi AF, et al. J Family Med Prim Care Open Acc 5: 162. www.doi.org/10.29011/2688-7460.100062 www.gavinpublishers.com