Measurement of Menopausal Symptoms using Greene Climacteric Scale in a Tertiary Care Centre in Uttarakhand, India

Introduction: Menopause represents an important phase in a woman. Increase in life expectancy has resulted in prolongation of this phase. Aim: To identify the age of onset of natural menopause, associated symptoms of menopausal women attending the outpatient department of AIIMS Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of AIIMS Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India. A total of 100 women having natural menopause over a period of five months were interviewed using Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS) questionnaire. The analysis was based on GCS and its various sub scores. Data analysis was carried out by SPSS version 17.0. Chi-square test, unpaired t-test, Pearson coefficient of correlation were used for statistical analysis. A p <= 0.05 was considered as significant association. Results: The mean age at menopause was 47.2 +/- 4.62 years. Six percent of women had primary ovarian insufficiency. Urinary complaints (49 cases), backaches and lower abdominal pain (31 cases), hot flushes (24 cases). pruritus vulvae (15 cases) and musculoskeletal pain (15 cases) were most frequently self-reported menopausal symptoms in the present study. The most frequently reported symptoms as per GCS score were muscle and joint pain (87%), loss of libido (80%), insomnia (60%), hot flushes (54%) and feeling tired (30%). The mean number of symptoms reported by a single lady was 5.69t2.97 (ranged from 0-14). Regular physical activity or doing regular yoga was associated with lower total GCS score (9.50 +/- 6.1 vs. 11.18 +/- 5.6). Conclusion: Women in this region viewed menopause negatively. As observed in this study, symptoms were common and disturbing and hence cannot be ignored. Attempt should be made to treat menopausal symptoms starting from lifestyle management perspective in the form of yoga/exercise/calcium supplementation.