Einstein International Journal Organization(EIJO)

Abstract

Objective: To assess the prevalence of menopausal symptoms and clustering in a mixed population of women, To describe the relationship of menopausal symptoms with health-related quality of life of women, To identify different actions taken to alleviate menopausal symptoms.

Material & Method: Cross-sectional study was conducted among women aged 40 to 65 years living in urban and rural areas who have attended series of camps between 2016-2022 in Jaipur. The Information was collected on demographic, menstrual, personal and medical history and action taken for alleviating problems, using structured interviews. The Menopause Rating Scale was used to assess menopausal symptoms and severity of symptoms also recorded. The Short Form 36 health survey was used to assess the health-related quality of life.

Results & Conclusion: The mean age of peri menopausal women was 46.3 years and that of post-menopausal women was 50.8 years. 28% of perimenopausal women belong to rural area. 18.67% of post-menopausal belong to rural area. Overall, an increase in prevalence of symptoms from perimenopausal to post-menopausal category was observed and significantly high (< 0.0001) for hot flushes, physical and mental exhaustion. There is significant difference between Rural and Urban women in terms of menopausal symptoms. Most prevalent cluster in urban women being Psychological while in Rural areas women do not report their symptoms frequently. Women with cluster of symptoms had significantly lower (P<0.05) quality-of-life scores in most of the domains of the Short Form 36 compared with women without symptoms.

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