Perimenopausal Depression Among Women in the Community

BACKGROUND: Perimenopausal depression is a significant public health concern affecting an estimated 20 to 30% of women during the menopause transition, a critical life stage marked by hormonal fluctuations, physical symptoms, and emotional changes. Despite its prevalence and impact on women’s quality of life, perimenopausal depression remains under-recognized, under-treated, and under-studied. The complex interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors contributing to Perimenopausal Depression necessitates a comprehensive investigation to inform effective prevention and treatment strategies. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and impact of perimenopausal depression among women in the community, and to provide awareness regarding perimenopausal depression through health education. METHOD: A cross-sectional study has been conducted among women aged 40 to 50 years in Chittoor District, A. P. Purposive sampling method was used and the tool was called Meno-D Questionnaire. This questionnaire is taken from a study ‘Development and validation of a new rating scale for perimenopausal depression-the Meno-D’ Adequate permission is obtained from the author in order to use this tool in the study. The tool has two sections, section-A contains socioeconomic details and biophysical parameters and section-B contains various aspects of perimenopausal depression like low energy, paranoid thinking, irritability, self-esteem, isolation, anxiety, etc. RESULTS: The findings of the study are  Majority of the women 27(54%) of them had done high schooling  Majority of the women 28(56%) of them were homemakers  Half of the women 25(50%) of them had prehypertension.  More than half of them 29(58%) of them had moderate weight gain.  The overall percentage of Perimenopausal Depression is only 14.3% which is remarkably less. CONCLUSION: The study findings gave us an insight into perimenopausal depression and its impact among women in the community. From the various aspects of perimenopausal depression women were found to have moderate weight gain and all other aspects are remarkably less compared to the previous studies. This study bought an awareness among women regarding perimenopausal depression.