Prevalence of depressive symptoms during the menopausal transition in Türkiye: impact of symptom severity, aging anxiety and health-related quality of life.

Objective: This research aimed to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms during the menopausal transition (MT) among women in Türkiye and to examine the effects of menopausal symptom severity, aging anxiety, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and sociodemographic factors on these symptoms.

Methods: The cross-sectional study included 1146 women aged 45-55 years in the MT phase who voluntarily agreed to participate. The data were collected via a link containing survey questions on Google Forms, including sociodemographic information, health status, gynecological/obstetric history, menopause questions and the following scales: Perimenopausal Depression Scale, Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), Aging Anxiety Scale and Short Form Health Survey.

Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms during the MT (≥20 points) was found to be 27.1% (95% confidence interval: 24.6-29.8), with 3.8% experiencing severe depression, 12.7% moderate depression and 10.6% mild depression. Binary multiple logistic regression analysis identified residence in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions, alcohol consumption, higher MRS scores and lower mental component levels as significant predictors of depressive symptoms during the MT.

Conclusions: This study provides valuable data on the prevalence of depressive symptoms during the MT among perimenopausal women in Türkiye, offering insights for developing targeted strategies for at-risk groups.