Age at Onset of Natural Menopause and Associated Factors in Women, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| dc.contributor.advisor | Eyasu Mesfin | |
| dc.contributor.author | Belay Betemariam | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-02-21T06:05:37Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-02-21T06:05:37Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-04-29 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Background: Menopause is defined as 12-month of amenorrhea after the final menstruation. It is 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 iii 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. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/7675 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Addis Ababa University | |
| dc.subject | Age at onset of natural menopause | |
| dc.subject | associated factors in women | |
| dc.title | Age at Onset of Natural Menopause and Associated Factors in Women, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | |
| dc.type | Thesis |