Prevalence of menopausal symptoms in Osogbo, South-West, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Menopause is a natural biological process which is associated with a wide range of physical, vasomotor, and psychosocial symptoms in women with far-reaching effects on well-being and quality of life. This study determined the prevalence of menopausal symptoms in our environment. Patients, Materials and Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study that involved 250 postmenopausal women recruited from three health-care facilities in Osun State over a period of 2 months (June 2022 to August 2022). The data were collected with structured questionnaires and were analysed with appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Majority of the 250 women attained menopause at the ages between 55 and 64 years (n = 129; 51.6%), with a mean age at menopause being 58.7 years (±7.8). They commonly attained menarche at 15–19 years (n = 147; 58.8%) and had five or more previous pregnancies (n = 133; 53.2%). Hypertension and diabetes were present in 87 (34.8%) and 26 (10.4%) women, respectively. Use of contraceptives was recorded in 128 (51.2%) women, with intrauterine contraceptive devices being the most common method. The most common menopausal symptom was internal heat in 52% of women; of the women with this symptom, 48% were relieved with medications. Having 4 or less previous pregnancies, having 4 or less children and previous use of contraceptives had a significant association with late menopause. Conclusions: This study concludes that age at menopause is slightly advanced in our environment and there is a high prevalence of menopausal symptoms. There is a need for support programmes for postmenopausal and elderly women to facilitate prompt and appropriate treatment of these ailments as well as providing intensive health education for the women.