Perception and experience regarding menopause among menopaused women attending teaching hospitals in Erbil City.

Gazang Najmaddin Mustafa,Jwan Muhamad Sabir

doi:10.5539/gjhs.v4n3p170

Abstract

Background and Objectives:The timing of menopause, perception as well as menopausal symptoms varies between populations and within populations. The main objective of the present study was to assess women’s perception and experience regarding menopause, to find out symptoms and mean age of menopause and to study socio-demographic characteristics of menopaused women and to find out its relationship with their age at menopause and their knowledge about menopause.Methods:Over a period of eight months a descriptive cross sectional study were carried out at the outpatient departments of four teaching hospitals in Erbil city. A total of 500 menopaused women their age ranged from 40-60 years were interviewed using a close ended self administered questionnaire.Results:Mean age of menopause was 47.44 years with median age was 48 years, 4.4% had premature menopause and 23.6% had early menopause. The only factors that significantly associated with age at menopause were education and pattern of menstrual cessation and 93.4% of menopaused women were heard about menopause, 56.6% had prior knowledge of menopausal symptoms, cessation of menstruation was positive in 47.0% and 85.8% of women perceive menopause as natural condition and the most common menopausal symptoms were tiredness occurring in 83.2%.Conclusion:Most of menopaused women perceive menopause as natural condition and not aware about hormone replacement therapy and the mean age of menopause is comparable to that mean reported in other part of Iraq. Among menopaused women tiredness was the most common complaint was followed by hot flushes and night sweats.

Highlights

The term menopause means the end of the monthly menstrual cycle which is the central external marker of human female fertility and a natural menopause is deemed to have occurred after 6 months of secondary amenorrhea in a women aged 45 years or over (Edmonds et al, 2006)
The only factors that significantly associated with age at menopause were education and pattern of menstrual cessation and 93.4% of menopaused women were heard about menopause, 56.6% had prior knowledge of menopausal symptoms, cessation of menstruation was positive in 47.0% and 85.8% of women perceive menopause as natural condition and the most common menopausal symptoms were tiredness occurring in 83.2%
Most of menopaused women perceive menopause as natural condition and not aware about hormone replacement therapy and the mean age of menopause is comparable to that mean reported in other part of Iraq

Summary

Introduction

The term menopause means the end of the monthly menstrual cycle which is the central external marker of human female fertility and a natural menopause is deemed to have occurred after 6 months of secondary amenorrhea in a women aged 45 years or over (Edmonds et al, 2006). The main objective of the present study was to assess women's perception and experience regarding menopause, to find out symptoms and mean age of menopause and to study socio-demographic characteristics of menopaused women and to find out its relationship with their age at menopause and their knowledge about menopause. The only factors that significantly associated with age at menopause were education and pattern of menstrual cessation and 93.4% of menopaused women were heard about menopause, 56.6% had prior knowledge of menopausal symptoms, cessation of menstruation was positive in 47.0% and 85.8% of women perceive menopause as natural condition and the most common menopausal symptoms were tiredness occurring in 83.2%. Among menopaused women tiredness was the most common complaint was followed by hot flushes and night sweats

Objectives

Results

Conclusion