Питання репродуктивного здоров’я: обізнаність і ставлення жінок віком понад 40 років у Саудівській Аравії

In Saudi Arabia, an open discussion about reproductive health is limited due to cultural and religious norms, affecting awareness and access to care. Existing researches mainly focus on adolescents, highlighting the need for further studies on older women.The objective: to analyze the knowledge and attitude of Saudi women aged 40 years or above towards reproductive health.Materials and methods. Survey-based, cross-sectional study conducted from May to June 2023. The total number of participants was 1,025 women. The Chi-square test (χ2) assessed associations between sociodemographic variables (age, residence) and reproductive health behaviors.Results. Most of the participants were within the age group of more than 50 years old (n = 500, 48.9%), residents of Makkah (n = 410, 40.0%), had a bachelor’s degree or higher educational level (n = 720, 70.2%), and were married (n = 870, 85.0%). The results of reproductive health analysis showed that 16.8% of women had a family history of breast cancer, 65% of participants had mammography examination, and 16% – monthly doctor’s examinations. 4.7% of woman had a family history of cervical cancer, and 22.4% of participants had a Papanicolaou (PAP) smear. Menopausal symptoms were reported by 43.5% of women, and 29.2% of persons did not have menstruations for over a year. No statistically significant association was found between place of residence and reproductive health-related behavior (p > 0.05). At the same time, a significant association was found between age and mammography screening in the last 5 years (p = 0.000), as well as between age and bone density scan (p = 0.000), while media awareness of mammography was observed in older women (p = 0.035).Conclusions. The results of the study highlight the need to increase breast health awareness, mammography screening, regular cervical PAP smears, and family history to reduce cancer prevalence among women over 40 years of age. This will also help to understand the demand for targeted health initiatives and educate about routine screening. Further research is needed to consider socioeconomic status, cultural barriers, and healthcare access.