ABSTRACT
This study aimed to determine the prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms and their effect on the quality of life of postmenopausal women in rural Minia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1 100 postmenopausal women aged 45-60 years selected by multistage random sampling. The menopause rating scale [MRS] was used to assess the menopausal symptoms. The mean age at menopause was 48.9 [SD 4] years. The most frequent symptoms were joint and muscle pain [82.1%], physical and mental exhaustion [69.6%] and hot flushes and sweating [49.2%]. The mean MRS somatic score was 4.12 [SD 2.22], the psychological score was 2.86 [SD 2.50] and urogenital score was 2.13 [SD 1.04]. The total MRS score indicated that the symptoms were of moderate severity [9.11 [SD 5.76]]. Education, marital status, occupation, parity and postmenopausal duration were significantly associated with MRS score. Rural primary health care workers should be aware of this critical stage of life in women to help women deal with symptoms that may affect their quality of life