The age of menopause and the menopause transition in a multiracial population: a nation-wide Singapore study

To describe the prevalence of menopausal symptoms, define the mean age of menopause, and determine contributory factors, which influence the experience of symptoms among Singaporean women of different racial groups. Cross-sectional nation-wide study of a random sample of 1000 women drawn from the en...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Maturitas 2005-11, Vol.52 (3), p.169-180
Main Authors: Loh, Foo-Hoe, Khin, Lay-Wai, Saw, Seang-Mei, Lee, Jeannette J.M., Gu, Ken
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Age Factors
Age of Menopause
Analysis of Variance
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
China - ethnology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dysmenorrhea - epidemiology
Female
Hot Flashes - epidemiology
Humans
India - ethnology
Malaysia - ethnology
Menopausal symptoms
Menopause - ethnology
Menopause - physiology
Middle Aged
Prevalence
Reproductive History
Singapore
Singapore - epidemiology
Smoking
Socioeconomic Factors
Surveys and Questionnaires
Time Factors
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:To describe the prevalence of menopausal symptoms, define the mean age of menopause, and determine contributory factors, which influence the experience of symptoms among Singaporean women of different racial groups. Cross-sectional nation-wide study of a random sample of 1000 women drawn from the entire population of Singaporean female (Chinese, Malay, and Indian) citizens between 45 and 60 years of age. Face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires were conducted. The response rate was 69.9%. The mean age of natural menopause was 49.0 years. This was not significantly different between the three ethnic groups. Increasing parity delayed the age of menopause ( P = 0.007). Muscle and joint ache was the most commonly reported symptom (52.6%). Although the prevalence of significant hot flushes in the general study population was low (3.9%), it was the most commonly reported complaint by peri-menopausal women (14.6%). Prevalence of significant hot flushes decreased with time from menopause ( P = 0.007) and completely disappeared beyond the fifth year of menopause. Recent unhappy events were associated with an increased risk of symptoms ( P < 0.001). Women of Chinese origin experienced a lower risk of menopausal symptoms when compared with other ethnic groups ( P < 0.05). The mean age of menopause was 49.0 years among Singaporean women. Ethnicity and recent unhappy events were two major factors, which influenced the risk of experiencing menopausal symptoms. Among the three ethnic groups studied, Chinese women were the least likely to experience disturbing menopausal symptoms. The overall prevalence of menopausal symptoms was low when compared to studies on women in western societies.
ISSN:0378-5122
1873-4111
DOI:10.1016/j.maturitas.2004.11.004