BackgroundRecent studies have associated hysterectomies with an increased risk of several health adversities. However, the effect of hysterectomy on menopausal symptoms and menopause-related quality of life has not been explored much in Indian context. The present study aims to estimate the prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms and their socio-demographic determinants among North Indian menopausal women with and without hysterectomy. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted among 359 menopausal women aged 40–78 years, of which 266 were without hysterectomy, 66 had undergone hysterectomy before menopause, and 27 after menopause. The prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms were captured using the MENQOL questionnaire. Appropriate statistical tests (including the chi-square test, t-test, and correlation analysis) were performed to understand the differences in the prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms among the three groups. ResultsMenopausal symptoms, depending on the hysterectomy status, affected the quality of life of 66.2–78.79% of women. Notably, menopausal symptoms among those who underwent hysterectomy before menopause were significantly higher than those without hysterectomy in terms of both prevalence and severity [mean severity score (SD) = 3.49 (1.5) vs 2.85 (1.4), respectively; p-value= 0.001]. Higher age and longer duration since menopause were inversely correlated with the severity of symptoms among women without hysterectomy, but not among hysterectomized women. ConclusionHysterectomy before menopause may be associated with an increased prevalence of menopausal symptoms and poor quality of life. There is an urgent need to discourage unnecessary hysterectomies and facilitate women undergoing a hysterectomy with adequate post-surgery care.