Relation of Ethnicity and Menopausal Symptoms in Nepal

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted among women of different ethnic groups aged 40 to 60 years and health workers in different parts of Nepal using focus group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews (KIIs) and clinical examinations to determine the symptoms and complains related to menopause. The mean age at menarche was 15 years and the mean age of menopause was 47. The highest menarche and menopause (50 years) was found to be among the Gurung women. Mean age of menopause was found to be higher among currently older women (52 years among 60+ women vs 41 years among <45 years women) and unmarried women. Tharu perimenopausal women and Sarki, Gurung and Tharu postmenopausal women were found to have relatively more regular menstrual cycles. However, Tharu perimenopausal women were found to have excess bleedings during the menstrual cycle. Most of the women had heard about menopause but did not have detailed knowledge on it. Loss of sexual interest (95.3%), decreased visual activity (58%), joint pain (31.3%) and body pain (31.3%) were the most commonly reported menopausal symptoms. Mean body mass index (BMI) was highest among the Gurung women (both perimenopausal and postmenopausal). Pap smear was normal in all 138 women but around 50% had some cervical and vaginal-related problems. One-third of Tharu postmenopausal women had atropic labia and onethird of Tamang women had leukoderma.Since, very little knowledge is known about the postmenopausal symptoms and problems in Nepal, this study can serve as the basis for further researches in this area with an increased sample size.