Age at Onset of Natural Menopause and Associated Factors in Women, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Date
2024-04-29
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Background: Menopause is defined as 12-month of amenorrhea after the final menstruation. It
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the permanent cessation of menstruation. During menopausal period most women
experience hot flashes, sleep disorders, sweating, vaginal atrophy and related sexual
dysfunctions which all affect woman’s health. Symptoms and relating it to menopause may not
be known and most feel embarrassed to draw attention for support and worsen in developing
countries. They are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and osteoporosis in
early menopause and breast, endometrial and ovarian cancers in late menopause, respectively.
They are also crucial for family well-being in terms of social aspects of life, particularly in Africa.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to know the timing of menopause and prevalence of
associated symptoms and explore the existing gap of postmenopausal women health needs.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2024. Data was
collected using pretested standardized questionnaire of menopausal women from four
Hospitals in Addis Ababa. Patient visitors and attendants at the four Hospitals age 30 to 60 yrs
who fulfill the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Data was analyzed using SPSS
version 20.
Result: Data was collected from 408 participants who fulfill the eligibility criteria. The mean age
of participants was 51.78 ± 5.43 years. The mean age of menopause was 45.05 (±4.65) years.
Premature menopause was reported in 10.0% of them. Only 1.5% had late menopause (≥55 yrs)
while 47.3% (193) had menopause at ages 45-49 years and 12.5% at age of 50-54 years. Hot
flush was the commonest peri-menoausal symptom experienced by almost half, 202 (49.5 %),
of the participants. Night sweating 199 (48.8%), mood change 147 (36.0%), history of peri
menoausal weight gain 158 (38.7%) and sleep disturbance 128(31.4%) were among the
symptoms reported by participants. Although only 56 (27.7%) of those with hot flush were
treated all improved after treatment. In the majority of the symptomatic cases only less than
one third of cases were seeking treatment from health provider. Multiparity and implant use
were significantly associated with age at menopause. Multiparity was associated with 3.4 times
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higher odds of age of menopause of ≥ 45 yrs (AOR= 3.4, 95%CI=1.138-9.796) and also Previous
implant contraceptive use (AOR= 2.05, 95%CI=1.033-4.058).
Conclusion: The mean age of menopause in our study was 45.05 years. The prevalence of pre
mature menopause in the current study was 10.0% which is higher than prior reports. Hot flush
was the commonest menopausal symptom. Only less than a third of women who had
menopausal symptoms sought care from a health provider. This potentially is due to lack of
knowledge on availability of treatment for menopausal symptoms. Parity and use of Implants D
were significantly associated with age at menopause of ≥ 45yrs.
Recommendation: Awareness creation on menopause in the population should be done to
increase their health seeking behavior. Large population based studies are recommended to
better identify factors associated with lower mean age at menopause and high prevalence of
premature menopause in our set up.
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Keywords
Age at onset of natural menopause, associated factors in women