Climacteric Symptoms and Health Status of Menopausal Women -North Karnataka

ABSTRACT Climacteric refers to the period before and after menopause during which ovarian activity diminishes and gradually ceases. This is the transition period which tends to occur over a period of years and begins with the onset of menstrual irregularities and ends with the last menstrual period.During this period number of symptoms are experienced by women.A cross-sectional study was conducted on 168 women aged between 45-49 years.In depth interview was conducted to collect the necessary information. The data collected was analyzed by using SPSS 16.0 version.The prevalence of obesity was found to be the highest 14.3% followed by hypertension 11.3% and DM Type II 9.5%.The most common climacteric symptoms reported were headache, insomnia, frequent urination, pain in knees and lower back, night sweats and stress incontinence.The onset of climacteric symptoms are multidimensional and vary from individual to individual. They reflect combination of genetic makeups, physical activity, diet, life style, cultural influences and individual perception and expectations