{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T09:28:31Z","timestamp":1786699711538,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786665600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J. Clin. Med.","JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: The menopausal transition is a period of increasing cardiometabolic risk and a window for prevention, yet preparation is often delayed until symptoms appear. Latvia has a high cardiovascular mortality burden, but population-specific menopause-awareness data are limited. This study aimed to describe item-level awareness among women aged 18\u201349 years in Latvia, compare age groups, and explore associated factors. Methods: An exploratory, anonymous, cross-sectional online convenience survey included 431 women aged 18\u201349 years in Latvia recruited through paid social media posts. An investigator-designed 47-item Latvian questionnaire was used. Primary outcomes were item-level responses to menopause-awareness Likert statements, summarized using medians, interquartile ranges, and dichotomized evidence-aligned proportions. A study-specific 10-item composite awareness score was constructed post hoc as a secondary hypothesis-generating measure. Analyses used chi-square tests, nonparametric tests, and exploratory multivariable linear regression. Results: Recognition of hot flushes (93.0%), that symptoms may appear before age 50 (91.6%), and vaginal dryness (79.8%) was high, whereas awareness that menopause may increase cardiovascular risk was limited (50.3%). Nine out of ten items showed no significant age-group difference; one reverse-keyed memory item showed a small nominal association. Composite awareness scores did not differ by age group, education level, or gynaecologist visit frequency. Internal consistency was modest (Cronbach\u2019s \u03b1 = 0.688), and the regression model explained limited variance (R2 = 0.083; adjusted R2 = 0.052). Previous information-seeking (B = 1.85, 95% CI 0.79\u20132.95, p &lt; 0.001) and underweight BMI (B = \u22125.91, 95% CI \u22128.96 to \u22122.85, p &lt; 0.001; n = 12) were independently associated with the composite awareness score. Overall, 72.6% considered educating younger women important. Conclusions: In this exploratory convenience sample, strong symptom recognition coexisted with limited cardiovascular-risk awareness, supporting earlier menopause education in Latvia that integrates cardiometabolic prevention.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15166295","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T08:08:29Z","timestamp":1786694909000},"page":"6295","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Awareness of Menopause and Health Risks Among Reproductive-Age Women in Latvia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-1637-9485","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"J\u0101nis","family":"Jurk\u0101ns","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Riga Stradins University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Je\u013cizaveta","family":"Kolosovska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Riga Stradins University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3419-6430","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elizabete","family":"\u0100rgale","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Riga Stradins University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"947","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(23)02799-X","article-title":"An empowerment model for managing menopause","volume":"403","author":"Hickey","year":"2024","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e096235","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2024-096235","article-title":"Impact of menopause education interventions on knowledge, symptoms, and quality of life: Protocol for a systematic review","volume":"15","author":"Marco","year":"2025","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"e506","article-title":"Menopause transition and cardiovascular disease risk: Implications for timing of early prevention","volume":"142","author":"Aggarwal","year":"2020","journal-title":"Circulation"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Tariq, B., Phillips, S., Biswakarma, R., Talaulikar, V., and Harper, J.C. 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