Postmenopausal Symptoms and Perception of Quality of Life in Postmenopausal women

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms and understand the perception of quality of life and the attitudes of women towards the use of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). We aimed also to establish the correlation between menopausal symptoms with age, BMI and quality of life among the postmenopausal women. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at the department of Obstetrics and gynecology of Ziauddin University Karachi, from June 2015 to December 2015. A total of 300 postmenopausal women between the ages of 40 and 70 years were enrolled and studied using an interview questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of self-perception of well-being, physical activity, socio-demographic data, and information regarding HRT and modified Menopausal Rating Scale (MRS). Results: Mean age of the subjects was 57 years, with 38 % of the study participants being illiterate. Most of the patients had mild somatic symptoms. Most frequently reported symptoms were joint and muscular pain (79.9%), anxiety and overall exhaustion (79.6%) and sweating and hot flushes (78.8%). Very few women were using HRT (12.6%). A significant link was found between women self-perception and increased weight, with severity of postmenopausal symptoms. Conclusion: Majority of women suffer from postmenopausal symptoms but in most cases it remains untreated due to lack of awareness, hesitancy and reluctance of the treating physicians. Women self-perception of menopause affects quality of life. Those who take it positively suffer from less symptoms