Severity of Menopausal Symptoms in Women Posthysterectomy at a Tertiary Care Hospital,Tamil Nadu, India: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Menopause, a natural occurrence in women’s lives, is characterised by a drop in ovarian hormones, oestrogen, and progesterone levels. Sudden hypoestrogenic state, that is caused by hysterectomy leads to the development of menopausal symptoms. Aim: To assess the occurrence and severity of menopausal symptoms in women who underwent hysterectomy for benign gynaecologic conditions. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Kelambakkam, Tamil Nadu, India, over a period of three months. The study included 100 women in the age group of 35-55 years who had undergone hysterectomy for benign conditions were invited to participate in the study. Those who agreed to the study and completed the questionnaire after six weeks and three months postoperatively were included in this study. Menopausal symptoms and severity were assessed using modified Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) scale. Posthysterectomy menopausal symptoms at six weeks and three months were compared using Chi-square test. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 45.85±6.24 years. Most of them, 52 (52%) had heavy menstrual bleeding, 28 (28%) of the study participants had no associated comorbidities. A total of 54 (54%) of the women of this study was diagnosed as Abnormal Uterine Bleeding-Leiomyomas (AUB-L). Majority 76 (76%) of them had undergone total abdominal hysterectomy with or without bilateral salphingoopherectomy. Mean duration of hospital stay 7.48±2.02 days. Postoperative diet of these women included calcium containing foods 57 (57%), iron containing foods 68 (68%). There was a statistically significant difference in majority of menopausal symptoms like hot flushes, palpitations, night sweats, reduced duration of sleep, anxiety, lack of interest in sex, forgetfulness and joint and muscle pains between six weeks and three months postoperatively. Conclusion: The present study concluded that the symptoms of hot flushes, difficulty in urinating, anxiety, joint and muscle pain was significantly higher at six weeks when compared to three months.