A mixed method study on menopause-related quality of life and health-seeking behavior in urban Telangana, India

Background: Perimenopause is the body's natural transition to menopause, signaling the end of the reproductive years. Changes in a woman's menstrual cycle, vasomotor changes, psychological changes, and vaginal health and sexuality are all symptoms of menopause. This study's objectives are to describe perimenopausal women's quality of life, and enumerate the health-seeking behavior, and determine the prevalence of various perimenopausal symptoms. Methods: A Cross-sectional study was conducted in the urban settlements of Telangana in 2022. Using an online questionnaire, data was collected from 200 participants, who were identified by convenient sampling followed by snowball sampling. For data collection, a questionnaire was developed from focus group discussions along with standardized MEN-QOL questionnaire. Results: Common perimenopausal symptoms observed were hair loss (47%), fatigue (48%) and body/joint pain (46%). (54%) participants approached family doctor, 40.5% prefer private healthcare facilities, 39.5% prefer modern medicine. Mean total MEN-QOL score is 3.13±0.37.QOL is low in the physical domain (mean=3.93). Age has a statistically significant relationship with all three domains of MEN- QOL (p<0.05). Conclusions: Hair loss, fatigue, and body/joint pains are prevalent perimenopausal symptoms. Physical domain has poor QOL. Most participants approached family doctors, visits private healthcare facilities and prefers modern medicine.