MenoScale: A novel digital tool to measure menopause symptoms and subjective quality of life - validation, preliminary insights on the menopausal experience and association with diet quality

Abstract

BackgroundMenopause symptoms significantly impact women's quality of life, yet existing assessment tools may not fully capture the menopausal experience. The MenoScale is a new digital tool for reporting the number and impact of menopause-associated symptoms.ObjectiveTo evaluate the reliability and validity of the MenoScale, and explore its application as a research tool.Study designDevelopment of novel MenoScale tool and an online validation study comparing it to the Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS) and RAND 36-item Health Survey 1.0, with 1010 peri- and postmenopausal women aged 37-70 years.Main outcome measuresConstruct validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and associations with quality of life and dietary intake.ResultsThe MenoScale showed good agreement between the MenoScale and GCS through Bland-Altman plot analysis. Internal consistency varied across four symptom domains: vasomotor, sexual, psychological and cognitive, and somatic (Cronbach's α = 0.5-0.8). Structural equation modelling revealed psychological and cognitive symptoms as central to the menopausal experience. Higher Healthy Eating Index scores were associated with slightly lower MenoScale scores (β = -0.132, p < .001). In the first 12 weeks post-launch, 65,181 women from 140 countries completed the online MenoScale.ConclusionThe MenoScale is a valid and reliable tool for assessing menopause symptoms, offering a comprehensive assessment of the menopausal experience. The association between diet quality and symptom burden warrants further investigation. The rapid uptake of the online MenoScale demonstrates its potential for large-scale data collection and empowering individuals in managing their menopausal experience.

Keywords: HRT; Menopause; digital tools; perimenopause; postmenopause; questionnaire validation.