A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess the Quality of Life of Perimenopausal and Post menopausal Women in Rural Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India

Background: Perimenopause is the period in a woman's life during which she passes from the reproductive to the nonreproductive stage. According to the 2008 estimates, the number of menopausal women in India was 43 million. Projected values in 2026 depict the menopausal population at 103 million. Due to the increasing life expectancy, improved quality of life is imperative to decrease the disability and frailty of a society. Objectives: To study the quality of life of perimenopausal women in rural areas of Etawah district, Uttar Pradesh, and the various factors associated with it. Materials and Methods: This is a community-based cross-sectional study conducted in 4 villages in the Saifai block of Etawah district, Uttar Pradesh, India. One hundred and ninety-nine healthy, perimenopausal women of the age group 45-55 years were included in the study. Data were collected on sociodemographic variables, and Menopause Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire - Intervention version questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life. Results: The mean age of attainment of menopause was 45.38 +/- 3.58 years. Majority of the women experienced physical (100%) and psychosocial (94.5%) symptoms; the most common symptom being "decrease in physical strength" (86.4%) and being able to "accomplish less than previously" (80.4%). Women who handled stress poorly showed severe vasomotor (P = 0.047) and psychosocial (P = 0.014) symptoms. Postmenopausal women who regularly exercised were 52.6% less likely to have vasomotor symptoms (odd's ratio OR 0.474 (0.235-0.960), P = 0.038). Conclusion: The quality of life among the study population was affected by the physical and psychosocial problems they experienced. By taking appropriate preventive measures, these can be ameliorated, and further deterioration can be checked.