Association between anaemia and menopause-related quality of life in Tamil Nadu: a cross-sectional study

Anaemia and menopause are independently associated with reduced quality of life; however, empirical evidence on their intersection remains limited, particularly in the Indian context. This study aimed to assess the association between anaemia and menopause-related quality of life among postmenopausal women in Tamil Nadu. The study was conducted between May and June 2024 among 400 postmenopausal women aged 45–55 years in Chennai (urban) and Thiruvarur (rural) districts in Tamil Nadu as a community-based cross-sectional study using multistage sampling. A portable haemoglobin analyser was used to measure haemoglobin levels. The Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) questionnaire was used to measure menopause-related quality of life. Descriptive statistics, Mann–Whitney U tests, and multiple linear regression were used for the analysis. The prevalence of anaemia was 60.25%. Women aged over 50 years, with lower educational attainment, labour and wage-based workers were more likely to have anaemia. Multiple linear regression indicated no statistically significant association between haemoglobin levels and the vasomotor (adjusted B = − 0.005, p = 0.833), psychosocial (adjusted B = 0.004, p = 0.844), physical (adjusted B = 0.003, p = 0.840), or sexual (adjusted B = 0.032, p = 0.367) domains. A statistically significant association was observed in the unadjusted analysis for the sexual domain (B = 0.32, 95% CI 0.01–0.64, p = 0.047); however, this association was not retained after adjustment for age, education, occupation, marital status, residence, and physical activity level (adjusted B = 0.032, 95% CI − 0.037 to 0.100, p = 0.367). Anaemia was highly prevalent among postmenopausal women in Tamil Nadu, no statistically significant associations between haemoglobin levels and MENQOL domains were observed after adjustment for potential confounders. The unadjusted sexual-domain association should be considered exploratory and interpreted cautiously pending confirmation in future studies.