Nutritional status and health seeking behaviour of postmenopausal women: a cross sectional study in North India

Abstract

Background: Menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation resulting from the loss of follicular activity of the ovaries. It is a stage when the menstrual cycle stops for longer than 12 months and there is a drop in the levels of estrogen and progesterone, the two most important hormones in the female body (WHO, 1996). The onset of this physiological development not only marks the end of women’s reproductive function but also introduces them to a new phase of life. Natural menopause is recognized to have occurred after 12 consecutive months of amenorrhea, for which there is no other obvious pathological or physiological cause. The age at which menopause occurs varies widely ranging from late thirties to late fifties with the range for most women being between ages 48 and 55 years. This period is marked by fluctuations in reproductive hormones. Methods: The present study community based cross-sectional study to examine variations in menopausal characteristics between rural and urban women. Data on socio demographic variables, reproductive history, and menopausal symptoms were collected from postmenopausal women (rural 200; urban 200) the survey was conducted among women who had attained menopause, in rural and urban area of Allahabad. Results: Majority of the study participants were in the age group of 50-60 years and attained menopause at the age between 45-50 years. Symptoms of joint pains were reported by 57% of rural and 55% of urban women. The percentage of women seeking treatment for their problems was higher in the urban areas i.e., 71.0% as compared to 29.5% in rural area. Similarly among the urban women, majority of them 75.0% sought treatment from private clinics, and the remaining 25.0% sought treatment from government hospitals. There is a need to address their problem and establish health care centers for them. Conclusions: The study shows that postmenopausal women suffer from various physical as well as problems related to menopausal hormonal changes with varied frequencies. There is a need to address their problem and establish health care centers for them.