Postmenopausal symptoms – a nightmare for females!! a comparative study of surgical & natural menopause

Introduction: Globally women face physiological and psychological health problems after midlife due to menopause. Women who have had surgical menopause experience the same symptoms caused by natural menopause; but more intensely and frequently due to the abrupt halt in estrogen production. So, premenopausal women who undergo surgical menopause may have symptoms that require treatment. Objectives: To determine the differences in severity of menopausal symptoms in women with natural and surgical menopause. Diagnostic use: The Scales designed can also be used to identify menopausal women who are severely and possibly clinically anxious and/or depressed. Method: Study design: Comparative and statistical study. Sample size and participants: All consenting females coming with postmenopausal complaints (either natural or surgical) to gynecology OPD of IGGMC, Nagpur between July to December 2015 (138 cases) Results: A total of 138 post menopausal women were questioned, out of 138, 73 women achieved natural menopause and 65 were hysterectomized females. Severity of different psychological symptoms, physical symptoms, vasomotor symptoms and libido changes were studied grossly and were proven to be statistically significant using chi sq. scale. A p value< 0.05 was taken to be statistically significant. Number of females with surgical menopause experience the Psychological (66%) and physical (73%) symptoms severely than women achieving menopause naturally (14.28% and 16.32% respectively). Number of females with surgical menopause experience the vasomotor symptoms (73%) and Libido changes symptoms severely (65%) than women achieving menopause naturally (35%). Conclusion: Women with surgical menopause experienced all climacteric symptoms evaluated in this study more intensely and frequently as compared to women who underwent natural menopause.