Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Nov 1;23(1):563.
doi: 10.1186/s12905-023-02728-y.

A cross-sectional study of symptoms and health-related quality of life in menopausal-aged women in China

Tamlyn A Rautenberg  1   2   3 , Shu Kay Angus Ng  4 , Martin Downes  4
Affiliations

A cross-sectional study of symptoms and health-related quality of life in menopausal-aged women in China

Tamlyn A Rautenberg et al. BMC Womens Health. .

Abstract

Objective: To measure symptoms and health-related quality of life in a cross-sectional cohort of menopausal-aged women in China.

Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a general population cohort of 2,000 Chinese females over the age of 45 years. Patients completed the Chinese version of the EuroQol-5D five level (EQ5D5L) health-related quality of life instrument via Personal Digital Assistant. Raw scores were converted to utility tariffs using value sets for China. Statistical analysis included Pearson's chi-square test, z test for multiple comparisons with adjustment by the Bonferroni method, independent-sample t-test, ANOVA, and adjustment by the Tukey method for multiple comparison. Results were considered statistically significant when p < 0.05 and the study was reported according to the STROBE recommendations.

Results: In a cohort of 2000 women, 732 (37%) were premenopausal, 798 (40%) were perimenopausal and 470 (23%) were postmenopausal. Perimenopausal women reported significantly more symptoms (91%) compared to premenopausal (77%) and postmenopausal (81%) women. Health-related quality of life was significantly lower in symptomatic perimenopausal women compared to premenopausal (0.919, p < 0.05) and postmenopausal (0.877, p < 0.05) women. Within each group there was a statistically significant difference between the health-related quality of life of women with symptoms compared to without symptoms.

Conclusion: The perimenopausal phase of menopause is associated with significantly more symptoms and significantly lower HRQoL compared to premenopausal and postmenopausal phases.

Keywords: China; EQ5D5L; Health state utility values; Health-related quality of life; Menopause; Perimenopause; Postmenopausal; Premenopausal; Utility.

Plain language summary

Why is this study needed?• It is important to understand the impact of menopausal symptoms on women’s quality of life so that decisions can be made about what healthcare services to provide and what treatments to fund.• Currently there are only a few older studies investigating menopausal symptoms in the perimenopausal phase, which is characterised by hormone fluctuations and symptoms likely to impact quality of life, and lasts up to four years. What is the key problem this manuscript addresses?• This research measures symptoms and the impact on quality of life of menopausal women in China. What are your main results and what do they mean?• Women in the perimenopausal phase are disproportionately affected by symptoms compared to premenopausal and postmenopausal women.• Perimenopausal women have significantly lower HRQoL compared to premenopausal and postmenopausal women.• This information is critical to informing pharmacoeconomic decisions about healthcare provision and publicly funded treatments in China.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

TR, MD received consulting fees from Abbott, SN declares no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram of included cohort
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Huang Z, et al. The influence of educational level in peri-menopause syndrome and quality of life among Chinese women. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2020;36(11):991–6. doi: 10.1080/09513590.2020.1781081. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Harlow SD, et al. Executive summary of the stages of Reproductive Aging workshop + 10: addressing the unfinished agenda of staging reproductive aging. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012;97(4):1159–68. doi: 10.1210/jc.2011-3362. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Delamater L, Santoro N. Management of the Perimenopause. Clin Obstet Gynecol. 2018;61(3):419–32. doi: 10.1097/GRF.0000000000000389. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Li L, et al. Factors associated with the age of natural menopause and menopausal symptoms in Chinese women. Maturitas. 2012;73(4):354–60. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2012.09.008. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chinese guideline on menopause management and menopause hormone therapy (2018) Zhonghua Fu Chan Ke Za Zhi. 2018;53(11):729–39. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources