Menopausal Transition and Symptom Burden: A Community-Based Study In Urban India

Background: A woman’s life span can be divided into three broad phases- reproductive, menopausal transition and postmenopause. Menopausal transition is a finite period of physiologic changes that eventually culminates in reproductive senescence. Aim & Objective: To estimate the prevalence of menopausal symptoms among middle-aged women in an urban area of Meerut and to assess the distribution of menopausal symptoms according to their menopausal status. Methods and Material: A community-based survey of 300 middle-aged women was carried out in urban area of Meerut by multistage sampling. Data was collected using a pre-tested and validated questionnaire. Statistical analysis used: Data collected was analysed and statistically evaluated using Jamovi 2.3.28 software. Results: Overall prevalence of menopausal symptoms among middle-aged women in the study was 92.7% while it was 86.9% in early menopausal transition stage women, 86.2% in late menopausal transition stage women and 95.5% in postmenopausal women. Conclusions: Menopausal women overall and in all menopausal categories showed high prevalence of menopausal symptoms. Symptoms like ‘Accomplishing less than used to’, ‘Aching in muscles and joints’, ‘Dissatisfied with personal life’ and ‘Avoiding intimacy’ were significantly higher in postmenopausal women than menopausal transition stage women, while ‘Hot flushes or flashes’ and ‘Being impatient with other people’ were seen more associated with menopausal transition stage women than postmenopausal women.