Prevalence of Menopausal Symptoms and Their Health Seeking Behavior in Postmenopausal Women in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background & Objective: Menopause is a delicate phase in the life cycle of women; therefore, it is crucial to develop a national policy that takes a personalized approach to treating menopause-related symptoms. Such a Program would aid in ensuring elderly women's quality of life and healthy life expectancy, while easing the social and financial burden of the symptoms. This study is done to study the prevalence of menopausal symptoms and perceptions of postmenopausal women. The objective of the study was to elaborate the prevalence of menopausal symptoms, menopause related quality of life and treatment seeking behavior of postmenopausal women.Materials & Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done among ۲۱۱ postmenopausal women attending Obstetrics and Gynecology OPD at Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital. Questions were asked using a semi-structured, pretested questionnaire and menopause rating scale. The results were then analyzed.Results: The median age of menopause in this study was ۴۵ (۴۴-۴۶) years. ۸۱% of the population had one or more symptoms. Almost ۴۸% of women sought treatment for their symptoms.Conclusion: The Majority of women did not seek advice for their symptoms due to a lack of knowledge. Improvement in awareness is a must to improve the quality of life in postmenopausal women.

Keywords:

menopause , Menopausal symptoms , Treatment seeking behavior , Quality of Life