The Quality of Life During and After Menopause Among Rural Women
ABSTRACT Introduction: The overall health and well-being of middle-aged women has become a major public health concern around the world. More than 80% of the women experience physical or psychological symptoms in the years when they approach menopause, with various distresses and disturbances in...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited
2013-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://jcdr.net/articles/PDF/2688/33-%204910_E(C)_PF1(M)_F(H)_PFA(RP)_PF1(PR).pdf |
| Summary: | ABSTRACT
Introduction: The overall health and well-being of middle-aged
women has become a major public health concern around the
world. More than 80% of the women experience physical or psychological symptoms in the years when they approach menopause, with various distresses and disturbances in their lives,
leading to a decrease in the quality of life. The aim of our study
was to assess the quality of life and the impact of hormonal
changes in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women and
to correlate the prevalence of the symptoms with their duration
since menopause.
Material and Methods: A cross- sectional study was done at
Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College and Hospital, Puducherry, from January 2012 to April 2012. Five hundred women who
were in the age group of 40-65 years, who came from rural areas to our hospital, were included in the study. The women who
were receiving hormonal treatment and those who refused to
participate in the study were excluded. The data such as the
socio-demographic information and the menstruation status,
which were based on the reported length of time since the last
menstrual period and the experience of the symptoms, as were
tested in the Menopause Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL)
questionnaire, were collected from each patient. The women
who were included in the study were divided into three groups
as the menopause transition, early postmenopausal and the late
postmenopausal groups. All the data which were gathered were
analyzed by using SAS 9.2. The Chi square test and the relative risk and the confidence interval calculations were applied to
compare the frequencies of the symptoms among the women
with different menopausal statuses. A p-value of less than 0.05
was considered to be statistically significant.
Results: Mean menopausal age in the study group was 45
years. The most common symptom within study subjects were
low back ache (79%) and muscle-joint pain (77.2%). The least
frequent symptoms were increase in facial hair (15%) and feeling of dryness during intimacy (10.8%). Scores of vasomotor
domain were significantly more in menopause transition group.
Scores of physical domain were significantly more in late postmenopausal group.
Conclusion: The menopause related symptoms had a negative
effect on the quality of life of the perimenopausal and the postmenopausal women. Such regional studies can help in creating
awareness and in educating women on the early identification of
the common menopausal symptoms. |
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| ISSN: | 2249-782X 0973-709X |