Menopause-specific quality of life during ovarian aging among Chinese women: A prospective cohort study

Objective: To describe the menopause-specific quality of life of Chinese urban women at midlife.

Study design: Prospective cohort study.

Main outcome measures: This study included 920 natural menopausal midlife Chinese women who were followed up for 10 years. The Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) questionnaire, which has four domains (vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual functioning symptoms), and other measures of physical and behavioral factors, were administered. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the associations.

Results: The mean MENQOL scores in the four domains were 1.75 ± 1.32, 2.13 ± 1.16, 2.33 ± 1.11, and 2.20 ± 1.83, respectively. The occurrence of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) persisted in >50% of women in the perimenopausal and early postmenopausal stages. However, the prevalence of moderate/severe bothersome VMS was relatively low. More than 75% of the women presented with mild physical or psychological symptoms, whereas less than 5% of them had moderate/severe symptoms. Sexual problems were highly frequent and bothersome, and their occurrence increased with advancing menopausal stage and age. The prevalence of bothersome sexual symptoms and moderate/severe sexual symptoms ranged from 31.89 and 1.58% in premenopausal women to 78.09 and 39.35% in late postmenopausal women, respectively. Menopausal status, depressive symptoms, and poor health status were significantly associated with the four menopausal domains.

Conclusion: VMS are among the menopausal symptoms most frequently rated as severe. Sexual problems become more prevalent with advancing age. Clinicians should have a broad understanding of changes that occur during the transition to maximize women's health.