Objective: The menopausal transition is an important milestone in female reproductive life. Many studies have been conducted to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women, but few of them focus on the climacteric population. This study aimed to investigate changes in the health and health care of climacteric women aged 40-70 years residing in Brazil during the pandemic period.
Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out using an electronic form with questions related to sociodemographic, clinical and gynecological data, treatments, access to health services and changes in behavior.
Results: A total of 419 women answered the questionnaire. Sixty percent reported weight gain and 50.8% reported reduced physical activity practice. More than 80% reported worsening mental health and 66.1% had a change in their sleep pattern. More than half reported having difficulty accessing gynecological consultations and routine examinations. Women living in capital cities reported a greater change in alcohol consumption (p = 0.002). Income change was associated with a higher prevalence of weight gain (p = 0.033) and changes in sleep quality (p = 0.018).
Conclusion: We observed an important reduction in the health care of climacteric women during the pandemic period, such as a decrease in medical consultations and preventive examinations, worsening of life habits and deterioration in mental health.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Climacteric; life habits; medical care; quality of life; routine examinations.