A study of assessment menopausal symptoms and coping strategies among middle age women of North Central India

Authors

  • Anil K. Agarwal Department of Community Medicine, G.R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
  • Nirmala Kiron Department of Community Medicine, G.R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
  • Rajesh Gupta Department of Community Medicine, G.R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
  • Aditi Sengar Department of Community Medicine, G.R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
  • Preeti Gupta Department of Community Medicine, G.R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20183995

Keywords:

Menopausal rating scale, Menopausal symptoms, Middle age women, Coping strategies

Abstract

Background: Menopause is one of the most significant events in a woman's life and brings in a number of physiological changes that affect the life of a woman permanently and can be influenced by various socio-demographic factors and coping activities. The objectives of the study were to determine the commonly reported menopausal symptoms among middle age women and to correlate identified menopausal problems with coping strategies found in participants.

Methods: By using modified MRS questionnaire, 150 menopausal women aged 40-60 years were interview to document of 12 symptoms (divided into somatic, psychological and urogenital domain) commonly associated with menopause.

Results: The mean age of menopause was 49.8 years (±4.9) (range 43 - 57 years). The most prevalent symptoms reported were joint and muscular discomfort (70.6%); physical and mental exhaustion (61.3%); and sleeping problems (59.3%). Followed by symptoms of anxiety (48.6%); irritability (45.3%) hot flushes and sweating (38.6; dryness of vagina (37.9%); depressive mood (38.0%). Other complaints noted were incontinence/Frequency of urine (27.3 and heart discomfort (23.3%). Perimenopausal women (47.2%) experienced higher prevalence of somatic and psychological symptoms compared to premenopausal (n=15.6) and postmenopausal (37.2%) women. However urogenital symptoms found more in postmenopausal group of women. There is a strong significant association between the menopausal symptoms and coping strategies adopted by the menopausal women.

Conclusions: Symptoms have variable onset in relation to menopause. Some women experience symptoms earlier during perimenopause while some experience them at a later time. The application of various coping methods, including the establishment of social support networks, is warranted to enhance postmenopausal women’s behaviors in different aspects.

Author Biographies

Anil K. Agarwal, Department of Community Medicine, G.R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India

Professor
Department of Community Medicine
G. R. Medical College Gwalior 474009 MP

Nirmala Kiron, Department of Community Medicine, G.R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India

PG (MD) Student

Department of Community Medicine
G. R. Medical College Gwalior 474009 MP

Rajesh Gupta, Department of Community Medicine, G.R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India

PG (MD) Community Medicine Std

Department of Community Medicine
G. R. Medical College Gwalior 474009 MP

Aditi Sengar, Department of Community Medicine, G.R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India

PG (MD) Student
Department of Community Medicine
G. R. Medical College Gwalior 474009 MP

Preeti Gupta, Department of Community Medicine, G.R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India

PG (MD) Community Medicine Std

Department of Community Medicine
G. R. Medical College Gwalior 474009 MP

References

Borker SA, Venugopalan PP, Bhat SN. Study of menopausal symptoms, and perceptions about menopause among women at a rural community in Kerala. J Midlife Health. 2013;4:182–7.

The Nurse Practitioner: Clinical Case Report: Anxiety Attacks following Surgical Menopause. 2006;31(5):44-9.

Taylor S. Menopause: The Emotional & Psychological Impact. 4/20/2006.

Williams RE, Levine KB, Kalilani L, Lewis J, Clark RV. Menopause-specific questionnaire assessment in US population-based study shows negative impact on health-related quality of life. Maturitas. 2009;62(2):153–9.

Lu J, Liu J, Eden J. The experience of menopausal symptoms by Arabic women in Sydney. Climacteric. 2007;10:72–7.

Peeyananjarassri K, Cheewadhanaraks S, Hubbard M, Zoa Manga R, Manocha R, Eden J. Menopausal Symptoms in a hospital-based sample of women in southern Thailand. Climacteric. 2006;9:23–9.

Chedraui P, Blümel JE, Baron G, Belzares E, Bencosme A, Calle A, et al. Impaired quality of life among middle aged women: A multicentre Latin American study. Maturitas. 2008;61(4):323–9.

Rebecca Prescott Coping Strategies - Yoga For Menopause Relief. Available at: http://www.buzzle. com/articles/coping-strategies-yogamenopause-relief.html. Accessed on 31 December 2006.

Heinemann LAJ, Potthoff P, Schneider HP: International version of the menopause rating scale (MRS). Health Qual Life Outcomes 2003;1:28.

World Health Organisation (WHO): Scientific Group on Research on the Menopause in the 1990s. Research on the menopause: Report of a WHO scientific group. In WHO technical report series. Geneva: WHO; 866.

Soules MR, Sherman S, Parrot E, Rebar R, Santoro N, Utian W, et al. Executive summary: stages of reproductive aging workshop (STRAW). Fertil Steril. 2001;76(5):874-8.

Agarwal A. Social classification: The need to update in the present scenario. Indian J Community Med. 2008;33:50-1.

Rahman SA, Zainudin SR, Mun VL. Assessment of menopausal symptoms using modified Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) among middle age women in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. Asia Pac Fam Med. 2010;9:5.

Boulet MJ, Oddens BJ, Lehert P, Verme HM, Visser AP. Climacteric and menopause in seven South-east Asian countries. Maturitas. 1994,19(3):157–76.

Jahanfar SH, Abdul Rahim BA, Shah Reza BK. Age at menopause and menopausal symptoms among Malaysian women who were referred to a health clinic in Malaysia. Shiraz E-Med J. 2006;7:3.

Christian DS, Kathad M, Bhavsar B. A clinico-epidemiological study on health problems of post-menopausal women in rural area of Vadodara District, Gujarat. Natl J Med Res. 2012;2:478–80.

Nehir S, Çoban A, Demirci H, Özbaşaran F, İnceboz Ü. “Menopozal belirtilerin ve evlilik uyumunun yaşam kalitesi üzerine etkisi”, Cumhuriyet Tıp Dergisi, 2009;31:15-21.

Green JG. Construction a standard climacteric scale. Maturitas. 1998;29:19–24.

Takeshi A. First Consensus Meeting on Menopause in the East Asian Region: Demography of the menopause and pattern of climacteric symptoms in the East Asian region. Geneva Foundation Med Educ Res. 2003.

Dennerstein L, Duddley EC, Hopper JL, Guthrie JR, Burger HG. A perspective population-based study of menopausal symptoms. Obstet Gynecol. 2000,96:351–8.

Lam PM, Leung TN, Haines C, and Chung TK: Climacteric symptoms and knowledge about hormone replacement therapy among Hong Kong Chinese women aged 40–60 years. Maturitas 2003;30:45(2):99–107.

Chim H, Tan BH, Ang CC, Chew EM, Chong YS, Saw SM. The prevalence of menopausal symptoms in a community in Singapore. Maturitas. 2002;41:275–82

Porter M, Penny GC, and Russell D, Russell E. A population based survey of women's experience of the menopause. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1996;103:1025–8.

Dhillon HK, Singh HJ, Rashidah S, Abdul Manaf H, Nik Mohd Zaki NM. Prevalence of menopausal symptoms in women in Kelantan, Malaysia. Maturitas 2006, 54: 213–221.

Park YJ, Kim HS, Chang SO, Kang HC, Chun SH: Sexuality and related factors of postmenopausal Korean women. Taehan Kanko Hakhoe Chi 2003;33(4):457–63.

Bairy L, Adiga S, Bhat P, Bhat R. Prevalence of menopausal symptoms and quality of life after menopause in women from South India. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2009;49:106–9.

Rahman S, Salehin F, Iqbal A. Menopausal symptoms assessment among middle age women in Kushtia, Bangladesh. BMC Res Notes. 2011;4:188.

Nisar N, Sohoo NA. Frequency of menopausal symptoms and their impact on the quality of life of women: A hospital based survey. J Pak Med Assoc. 2009;59:752–6

Mahajan N, Aggarwal M, Bagga A. Health issues of menopausal women in North India. J Midlife Health. 2012;3:84–7.

Ashrafi M, Ashtiani SK, Malekzadeh F, Amirchaghmaghi E, Kashfi F, Eshrati B. Factors associated with age at natural menopause in Iranian women living in Tehran. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2008;102:175–6.

Hardy R, Kuh D. Change in psychological and vasomotor symptoms reporting during the menopause. Social Sci Med. 2002;55(11):1975-88.

Mishra G, Kuh D. Perceived change in quality of life during the menopause. Social Sci Med. 2006;62(1):93-102

Olaolorun FM, Lawoyin TO. Experience of menopausal symptoms by women in an urban community in Ibadan, Nigeria. Menopause. 2009;16:822–30.

Meeta, Digumartil L, Agarwal N, Vaze N, Shah R, Malik S. Clinical practice guidelines on menopause: An executive summary and recommendations. J Midlife Health. 2013;4(2):77–106.

Teoman N, Ozcan A, Acar B. The effect of exercise on physical fitness and quality of life in Postmenopausal women. Maturitas. 2004;47(1):71-7.

Altuntuğ K, Ege E, Akın R, Koçak V, Benli S. Sexual Quality of Life in Women during the Climacteric Period. Int J Caring Sci. 2016;9(1):296-307.

Asbury EA, Chandrruangphen P, Collins P. The importance of continued exercise participation in quality of life and psychological well-being in previously inactive postmenopausal women: a pilot, study. Menopause. 2006;13(4):544-5.

Baksu B, Baksu A, Göker N, Citak S. Do different delivery systems of hormone therapy have different effects on psychological symptoms in surgically menopausal women? A randomized controlled trial. Maturitas. 2009;62(2):140-5.

Vaze N, Joshi S. Yoga and menopausal transition. J Midlife Health. 2010;1:56–8.

Downloads

Published

2018-09-24

How to Cite

Agarwal, A. K., Kiron, N., Gupta, R., Sengar, A., & Gupta, P. (2018). A study of assessment menopausal symptoms and coping strategies among middle age women of North Central India. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 5(10), 4470–4477. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20183995

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles