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Background

With increased age, every woman will experience a transition from a reproductive period to a non reproductive period known as menopause, which based on a study by Siregar MFG (2016), alternatively, can be diagnosed by vaginal pH≥ 5, 5 (1, 3). This period is characterized by decreased hormone levels and cause various complaints, the degree of which vary between each individual. These complaints range from very mild symptoms to severe life disturbing symptoms (both physical and psychological), and is known as the climacteric syndrome. Symptoms include hot flushes and night sweats, insomnia, and vaginal dryness, osteoporosis, arteriosclerosis, dyslipidemia, decreased mood, irritability, and headaches. A study by Siregar MFG et al.(2016) showed that based on the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), 50-56-year-old women mostly complained these symptoms (2, 4).

A study conducted in the town of Pematang Siantar at 2009 on 210 respondents aged 46-55 years who were experiencing perimenopause reported ten (out of 22 complaints in the climacteric syndrome) most frequent complaints: irritability (83.3%), leg tingling (68.1%), rheumatic pain (68.1%), headache (59.5%), anxiety (56.2%), missing sexual arousal (54.8%), difficulty reaching orgasm (52.8%), myalgia (51.4%), sleeplessness (49.5%) and no concentration (49.1). As much as 92.4% of 210 women examined experienced climacteric complaints, with 138 of them (67%) were workers (1, 3). Memory problems during menopause are also frequently reported, which is supported by results from Siregar MFG (2016) who reported states that the increased