Objectives: During the menopause, 65%–80% of women experience hot flashes. Hot flashes can also occur after hysterectomy and may be experienced during cancer therapy. A very limited assessment of hot flashes is provided by currently available menopausal instruments. This study was performed to evaluate a new Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms (MVS) survey as an instrument for a comprehensive and subjective assessment of hot flashes.
Methods: The MVS survey was designed to assess multiple dimensions of hot flashes and to be simple and easy to administer. Hot flashes and associated conditions were addressed with 39 closed-ended questions. Sixty-one qualified women, 40–58 years old, from the Dallas, Fort Worth Metroplex area were enrolled. Women experiencing hot flashes took the survey at baseline and then 14 days, 2 months, and 6 months later. Factor analysis was performed. Face and content validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and sensitivity to changes were evaluated.
Results: Fifty-two women (85.2%) completed all study sessions. The MVS survey was found to have good face and content validity and good internal consistency (ρ
KR
= 0.87). Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients at the 14-day retest varied from 0.58 to 1.00. As a result of these analyses, the MVS survey was further refined.
Conclusions
: The MVS survey was found to be comprehensive, simple, valid, reliable, sensitive, and a convenient instrument for subjective assessment of various characteristics of hot flashes. The MVS survey may serve as a valuable clinical and research tool for measurement of hot flashes.
