Associations Between Menopausal Symptoms with Socio-economic, Demographic and Lifestyle Variables among Postmenopausal Women of Assam, Northeast India.

ABSTRACT

Background: Menopausal health refers to the various biological, physiological, and psychological changes and imbalances that occur as a result of the severity of symptoms. However, low oestrogen production causes various changes and declinations in women, which manifest as menopausal symptoms. Objectives: Present study determines the prevalence of menopausal symptoms and associations between socio-economic, demographic and lifestyle variables among postmenopausal women in Assam, Northeast India. Methods: The study was undertaken on 300 postmenopausal women using stratified random sampling. A pre-structured interview schedule was used to collect relevant data on socioeconomic, demographic, and lifestyle variables, as well as menopausal symptoms and related self-reported diseases, through a household survey and interview methods. Results: The mean age of menopausal women was found to be 47.08±2.38 years. Change in sexual desire (96.33%), profuse sweating with hot flush (61.67%), hot flush (60.00%), pain during sexual intercourse (46.33%), difficulties sleeping (37.00%), and lack of energy (39.67%) were the most common menopausal symptoms. There were significant associations recorded between various menopausal symptoms and age, education, first pregnancy age, age at menarche, family size, family type, parity, age at menopause, physical weakness, family income, and house condition (p <0.05). Conclusion: Menopausal symptoms were found to be more prevalent, and to reduce the population's health-related threat, more awareness, knowledge dissemination, and assistance are required, particularly among rural women.