Age, pattern of menopause, climacteric symptoms and associated problems among urban population of Hyderabad, Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the physiology of menopause in the context of the age at menopause, its pattern, climacteric symptoms and associated problems of an urban cohort.

METHODS

Cross-sectional, analytical study.

METHODS

Four urban sectors of Hyderabad city, from September to October 2004.

METHODS

In total, 800 women of age 45-59 years, who had reached a natural menopause were interviewed. The data were collected by simple random sampling method. A pre-tested questionnaire was administered to collect the data. Physical examination including height, weight and blood pressure check was also carried out at the same time. Data were statistically analyzed through software program SPSS 10.0.

RESULTS

The mean age at menopause of subjects was 47.16 years. Duration of climacteric ranged from 2 - 36 months in majority of cases. The marked climacteric symptoms were low backache (75%), headache (70.25%), tiredness (67.75%), limb pain (59.25%), sleep disturbance (53.75%), lack of concentration (49.5%), hot flushes (55.5%) and night sweats (45%). Other associated problems were hypertension (31.5%), ischaemic heart disease (22.25%), diabetes mellitus (15.75%), postmenopausal bleeding (10.5%) and vaginitis (4.2%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The age and pattern of menopause, climacteric symptoms and associated problems in studied population were different from other studies reported from within the country and abroad. This may reflect as sociocultural and dietary differences.