Assessment of menopausal symptoms in different transition phases using the Greene Climacteric Scale among rural women of North India

Background: Menopause is the universal physiological process of women's midlife and exhibits a wide variety of symptoms. However, there is little data on the menopausal symptoms and factors associated with their severity among rural Indian women.Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of menopausal symptoms during the different transition phases of menopause among rural women of North India.Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional study consisted of 351 women aged 35-55years (mean age 44.6years) residing in rural areas of North India. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data regarding menopausal status, demographic profile and reproductive history of the participants. Frequency and severity of menopausal symptoms were evaluated using the Greene Climacteric Scale in different stages of menopause. All statistical procedures were accomplished using SPSS version 19.0.Results: In the present study the mean ages of attainment of menarche and menopause were 14.3years and 47.2years, respectively. Mean score of total Greene Climacteric Scale was highest among perimenopausal women (16.128.1) over post-menopausal (14.78 +/- 7.3) and pre-menopausal women (11.08 +/- 6.1). Logistic regression analysis revealed that advancing age, low educational attainment, low socioeconomic status, menopausal status, later age at menarche and higher BMI were all associated with more severe menopausal symptoms.Conclusion: The climacteric symptoms were more prevalent among women who were perimenopausal followed by post-menopausal women and were the lowest in pre-menopausal women. Age, menopausal status, socio-economic status, and reproductive factors significantly influenced the severity of menopausal symptoms.