Early age of natural menopause in India, a biological marker for early preventive health programs

Objective The objective of the study 'Women's health at menopause across India' was to understand the experience of menopause in urban Indian women. The study aimed to ascertain the average age of menopause and its symptomatology, to study the prevalence of chronic diseases, and to understand the health status, health behavior and health needs of Indian women. Methods This is a cross-sectional study of 1765 menopausal women carried out at ten clinical centers managed by gynecologists in urban India. Face-to-face interviews were conducted by gynecologists using a validated structured questionnaire in English. Results A total of 1132 (64.14%) of the 1765 women had a natural menopause and 486 (27.54%) had a surgical menopause; 147 (12.99%) women (mean age 35.89 +/- 3.02 years) were considered to have premature menopause. Out of 1765 women, 192 women were asymptomatic and 1573 reported symptoms. Vasomotor symptoms were reported by 1211 (75.3%) women and psychological symptoms by 999 (62.01%), physical ailments by 515 (32%) and genitourinary symptoms by 250 (15.53%). Diabetes mellitus was reported by 11.7% and hypertension by 21.9%. Conclusion The average age of menopause in the sample studied is 46 years. Chronic diseases are on the rise and osteoporosis presents a decade earlier than in Caucasians. These findings can be a basis for further research and help to understand the symptoms, health status and health needs, to formulate guidelines, and to establish menopause clinics for screening and managing women in the transition phase in India.