Menopausal Symptoms:A Comparative Study in Rural and Urban Women

With the increasing life expectancy a women spends almost 1/3rd of life in menopause.Menopause is cessation of periods for 12 months or cessation of ovarian function resulting in permanent amenorrhoea. Menopause usually occurs more or less in midlife, signaling the end of the reproductive phase of a women's life. In developing country the mean age of menopause is 44-45yrs(1,2). Gradually, as a women approaches her midlife years, the production of oestrogen and progesterone slows down and eventually stops altogether at menopause (3,4). Some women experience mild problems and some women have severe symptoms. The early symptoms are oligomenorrhoea, menorrhagia,(5) hot flushes,(6,7,8) Insomnia (9,10) , mood changes.(9,11) The intermediate symptoms are skin and vaginal atrophy, stress incontinence (2) followed by late effects or osteopososis, coronary heart diseases, Alzheimer's diseases. Diabetes and Arthritis . These symptoms are because of decrease in production of oestrogens. There is varied lifestyles of rural & urban people. There is an economic imbalance between the poor, middle class, affluent and the multicultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious composition of the population. Large geographical variations exist with people in the plains, hills, deserts who are subjected to different climates and have varied food habits and lifestyles. The country is rife with contraindications between traditions and modernity. It is taboo to discuss reproductive health and sexual problems. Improper compliance by patients on recommended lifestyle changes and medication is another issue. Average age of menopause is somewhat lower in rural population than urban population (12-14). Menopausal symptoms have been found to be different in the rural and urban areas. Uro-genital symptoms, body aches and pains are the predominant symptoms in both rural and urban menopausal women.Menopause is recognised by all women in all culture as cessation of mensuration for one year, thus can be said universal reproductive phenomenon. Even there is a great diversity in nature of symptoms and frequencies across the countries and even in same culture (12-15). But the beliefs regarding menopausal syndrome are different at rural and urban population, thus the present study is an attempt to rule out the myths. Abstract The present study was carried out on 500 females in the age group of 40-60yrs to find out average age of menopause in rural and urban women and associated menopausal symptoms & its awareness & prevalence by predesigned questionnaire. We found out that , the percentage of all menopausal symptoms is more in urban women as compared to rural cases. Commonly observed symptoms' are hot flushes, joint & muscular discomfort and physical & mental exhaustion. However women don't come out with sexual problem much both in rural and urban.The symptoms are at peak during 45-55 years and after 55 years severity decreases. However the urinary symptoms and heart discomfort are more in > 55 years in urban women. Though the urban women are consulting physician for menopausal problems still percentage is very less. On the other hand rural women don't come out with their problems.