Menopausal symptoms, attitudes toward menopause, and social media/internet use among women in the climacteric period: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between menopausal symptom severity, attitudes toward menopause, and internet/social media use among climacteric women. METHOD: This analytical cross-sectional study included 250 women aged 40-64 years attending gynecology inpatient units and family medicine outpatient clinics at a university hospital. Data were collected between July and September 2025, after ethics committee approval. Participants completed questionnaires including validated scales for menopausal attitudes and symptom severity. RESULTS: Most participants were postmenopausal (61.2%); mean age was 49.2 years. Internet/social media use indicators were not associated with attitudes toward menopause. Higher severity in symptoms was associated with longer daily internet/social media use, obtaining menopause-related information online, and searching online before medical consultation. A moderate general internet/social media use pattern (2-3 times/week and 1-3 hours/day) was associated with lower symptom severity. CONCLUSION: Online information-seeking was associated with menopausal symptom severity but not attitudes. Nurses and other health professionals should assess online information-seeking and support digital health literacy by guiding women to reliable resources.