Sexuality among Postmenopausal Women and its Relation to Menopause Rating Scale
Publisher:
Jaypee Infomedia
E-ISSN:
2319-9830|3|2|39-43
ISSN:
2319-846x
Source:
Journal of SAFOMS,
Vol.3,
Iss.2, 2015-07,
pp. : 39-43
Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.
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Abstract
ABSTRACTBackgroundThere has been a misperception that menopausal women automatically lose interest in sexual life. At menopause, women have low estrogen levels; the vagina becomes thinner with less lubrication resulting in discomfort and lack of sensation with dyspareunia. There was a lack of standardized scales to measure the severity of menopausal symptoms and their effect on the healthrelated quality of life (HRQoL). So, in the 1990s menopausal rating scale (MRS) was developed to measure the severity of these problems. The MRS scores will be correlated with sexuality among postmenopausal women in this study.ObjectiveTo study psychosexual health issues and attitudes toward sexuality among postmenopausal women and correlate it with MRS.Materials and methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 postmenopausal women who presented in maternal and child healthcare (MCH) centre as a patient or accompanying person. Divorced, widow or women separated from their husbands were not included in the study. It was questionnaire- based convenience sampling conducted from 1st March to 31st August 2012 in MCH centre, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). The results were analyzed on Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.ResultsThe mean age of participants was 53 years and the mean age at menopause was 47 years. All the women had engaged in sexual intercourse in the past 6 months. A total of 93% women reported sexual activity, two to three times in a month while 2% were active more than four times. Only five having sex to make their partner happy. Seventy-four percent had reduced libido and 72% had diminished sexual response. The mean MRS was 11.2% with a range from 5 to 26. On analyzing MRS, the most frequent reported symptoms were anxiety, physical and mental exhaustion (90%), hot flushes (89%), night sweats (87%), anxiety (85%), irritability (83%) and depressive mood (82%). Vaginal dryness and sleep problems (74%), heart discomfort (71%), sexual problems (70%) and 41% had bladder problems were less frequent. On correlation of sexual functioning with MRS, women with higher MRS score (16–26) had significantly reduced sexual response (p = 0.046) compared to women with scores lower than or equal to 15 while there was no relation of MRS with importance of sexual relations in marital life.ConclusionSexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women was found to be quite high, but despite of these problems most of the women were satisfied with their sexual life. The MRS is a valuable for the assessment of menopausal complaints and had some correlation with sexuality.How to cite this articleMazhar SB, Kayani YM, Yasmin S. Sexuality among Postmenopausal Women and its Relation to Menopause Rating Scale. J South Asian Feder Menopause Soc 2015;3(2):39-43.