Profile of menopausal women in rural north India

Abstract

Objective To ascertain the profile of menopausal women in rural north India.Setting Six villages were selected in a rural field practice area of Department of Community Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, north India.Methods A female social worker obtained relevant data in the study area during 1999–2001. This involved individual interviews of women aged 35–55 years through a house-to-house survey.Results Of the 558 enlisted women, 152 (27.2%) had attained menopause. Average age at menopause was 44.1 years. More than half (53%) reported seven or more symptoms at menopause. Diminished vision was reported as the most common symptom at menopause. The majority (85%) admitted that menopause adversely affected women's physical health. However, most of them (95%) considered menopause socially good for women and welcomed it. None of our respondents reported use of hormone replacement therapy.Conclusion Women in rural north India viewed menopause positively. Medicalization of menopause was minimal.