Quality of Life (QoL) and Menopausal Rating Scale (MRS) among Peri- and Post-Menopause in Thai Women: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the quality of life (QoL) and Menopausal Rating Scale (MRS) between peri- and post-menopause among Thai women. Materials and Methods: The prospective cross-sectional study was carried out between October 2020 and February 2021 at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital (BAH), Royal Thai Air Force, Bangkok, Thailand. Participants were healthy women visiting gynecologic outpatient clinic aged 45 to 55 years old. Participants who still menstruated, both regular and irregular, were categorized into the control group. Women who presented natural amenorrhea within two years, as absence of menstruation for 12 to 24 months, were enrolled as the study group. The questionnaires were used to study the QoL and MRS among the two groups, then analyzed the data as chi-square and t-test. Results: Three hundred fifty subjects participated in the present study. There were 178 and 172 cases in the control and the study groups, respectively. Mean age and standard deviation of the participants in the control and the study groups were 48.0±2.8 and 52.3±2.8 years, respectively, (p<0.001). The overall QoL among the control group was higher than that of the study group with statistical significance (95.4±14.7, 90.6±14.6, p=0.003). The overall MRS of the control group was lower than the study group with statistical difference (60.2±12.0, 62.8±12.6, p=0.046). The urogenital and psychological symptoms of both groups were comparable. Conclusion: Menopausal women had significant higher MRS and significant lower QoL than perimenopausal women. Based on the study, it is helpful to health care providers and family to give this group appropriate information and will allow them to be healthy and happy member of society. It is also used to advise and monitor the symptoms of menopause in the menopause clinic. Keywords: QoL; MRS; Menopause