Healthcare for Women with Disabilities in the Climacteric and Menopause

摘要

Menopause can be defined as the complete interruption of menstrual cycles. The period which precedes this event is termed climacteric. Improvements in medical-care have brought an increase in the life expectancy of people with disabilities and increased the number of women with disabilities who experience climacteric and menopause. The objective of this review was to analyze available data on the health care, health status and symptoms perceived by women with disabilities during the climacteric and menopause period. A search in the literature was performed considering nine electronic databases-Medline, Cinahl, Scielo, Lilacs, SportDiscus, Web of Science, Academic Search Premier and PsycInfo. The inclusion criteria were: (a) field study with the participation of climacteric and/or post-menopausal women with some kind of disability; (b) evaluation of the health conditions of the participating women, with the care taken in order to maintain their health during this period and/or the symptoms perceived during climacteric. Seventeen studies were selected. Specific characteristics of the climacteric and menopause process in disabled women were found in all the studies. This review highlights the necessity to create a questionnaire and evaluation methods for assessing the health status and healthcare, as well as the specific climacteric symptoms of women with disabilities.