Prevalence of menopausal symptoms in women in Kelantan, Malaysia

The aim of the study was to document the prevalence of 16 symptoms commonly associated with menopause, in women living in Kelantan.

After verification, a semi-structured questionnaire in the Malay language was administered to 326 naturally menopaused healthy women in Kelantan (mean age of 57.1+/-6.58 (S.D.) years) to assess the prevalence of 16 common symptoms, which had been identified through focus group discussions and those that have been repeatedly reported in the literature.

Mean age at menopause was 49.4+/-3.4 (S.D.) years while both the mode and median were 50 years. Of these, 75% were within the first 10 years of menopause and the rest were within the range of 11 to more than 20 years postmenopause. The mode for the number of symptoms complained by each woman was 8 (range 0-16). The prevalence of atypical symptoms was as follows: tiredness (79.1%), reduced level of concentration (77.5%), musculo-skeletal aches (70.6%) and backache (67.7%). Night sweats (53%), headache (49.4%) and hot flushes (44.8%) were the typical vasomotor symptoms, whereas mood swings (51%), sleep problems (45.1%), loneliness (41.1%), anxiety (39.8%) and crying spells (33.4%) were the main psychological symptoms. Uro-genital symptoms such as vaginal discomfort (45.7%), occasional stress incontinence (40%), weak bladder control (24%) and urinary tract infection (19.3%) were also reported.

The symptoms are somewhat similar to those experienced by postmenopausal women elsewhere, albeit at different frequencies. There was a tendency for the women to admit to having more of the atypical symptoms, the prevalence of some which increased with increasing menopausal status, and lesser of the vasomotor and psychological symptoms.