Sociodemographic Determinants of Menopausal Symptom Severity Among Women in Southern Bangladesh: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study Using the Menopause Rating Scale

Objective: Menopause is a physiological event experienced by middle-aged women and is often accompanied by diverse somatic, vasomotor and psychological symptoms that may impair quality of life. Variation in symptom patterns has been observed between Asian and Western populations. Unlike previous Bangladeshi studies that were primarily descriptive, this study applied ordinal logistic regression to identify independent sociodemographic determinants of overall menopausal symptom severity in a large clinical sample. Objective: To assess the severity of menopausal symptoms and identify sociodemographic factors associated with overall symptom severity using the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study included 671 women aged 40 years and above attending different out patient departments of Ad-din Sakina Women’s Medical College Hospital, Jashore, Bangladesh. Severity was measured using the MRS and categorized into none, mild, moderate and severe. Independent variables included age group, education, socioeconomic status (SES), marital status and parity. Ordinal logistic regression was conducted to identify independent predictors. Results: Severe overall menopausal symptoms were observed in 57.8% of women. After adjustment, education and age were significantly associated with severity. Literate women had lower odds of higher severity compared to illiterate women (AOR=0.48; 95% CI 0.26–0.88; p=0.017). Women aged 45–49 years (AOR=0.18; 95% CI 0.07–0.46; p<0.001) and 50–54 years (AOR=0.41; 95% CI 0.22–0.99; p=0.048) had lower odds of higher severity than those aged 40–44 years. SES, marital status and parity were not significant predictors. The model showed adequate fit. Severe symptoms were common, reflecting a symptomatic outpatient population rather than community prevalence. Conclusion: Symptom severity was high and was influenced by age and education. Strengthening awareness and counselling during the menopausal transition may reduce symptom burden, particularly among women with lower education. Medicine Today 2026, Vol.38 (2): 294-297