Impact of Surgical Menopause versus Physiological Menopause on Quality of Life and Mental Health: A Cross-sectional Study in Eastern Part of India

A BSTRACT Background: Menopause is a condition where there is an absence of menstrual cycles with cessation of ovarian activity. When it occurs naturally, then it is physiological menopause, and when it occurs after the removal of uterus and ovaries, then it is surgical menopause. This study aims to compare the adverse impact on quality of life and mental health on women after physiological menopause and surgical menopause. Subjects and Methods: This is a hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted over a period of 6 months at a tertiary care center in the Eastern part of India. A total of 126 postmenopausal women – 63 women after surgical menopause and 63 after physiological menopause. Quality of life was assessed using the menopause-specific quality of life questionnaire and mental health morbidity was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety Depression scale. Mann–Whitney U test and Chi-square tests were used for comparing the two groups. Results: The mean age of hysterectomy in surgical menopause was 35.44 years ± 8.67, and the mean age of menopause in physiological menopause was 49.84 years ± 2.24. Women in surgical menopause experienced more physical (median score of 7 vs. 2) and psychosocial domain impairment (median score of 17 vs. 14) than the physiological menopause group. Depression was more significant in the surgical menopause group than physiological menopause with a median score of 6 versus 2. Overall, a poor quality of life was more in the surgical menopause group than in the physiological menopause group. Conclusion: Surgical menopause results in higher psychosocial and physical morbidity, resulting in impaired quality of life than physiological menopause.