Prevalence, severity, and association of serum follicle-stimulating hormone level with vasomotor and genitourinary symptoms in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women

Abstract

Background: The changes associated with menopause can affect a woman’s quality of life. About 50%−80% of women complain of menopausal symptoms such as vasomotor symptoms and genitourinary symptoms. Aims and Objectives: To investigate the prevalence, severity, and association of serum follicle-stimulating hormone (s.FSH) levels with vasomotor and genitourinary symptoms in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted to assess the severity of the menopausal symptoms using the Menopause Rating Scale, which categorized symptoms on a five-point scale ranging from “none” (0) to “very severe.” The correlation of s.FSH with prevalence of genitourinary symptoms was calculated. Results: 144 women were included in the study, out of which 63 (43.75%) belonged to the perimenopausal group and 81 (56.25%) belonged to the menopausal group. The mean age of the study population was 47.03 ± 7.13 years. In the perimenopausal women group, out of 63 women, 54 (85.71%) had joint pain and muscular discomfort, whereas 80 (98.76%) of the menopausal women experienced joint pain. 25 (39.68%) of perimenopausal women had mild vasomotor symptoms. The majority of menopausal women had more severe vasomotor symptoms as compared to premenopausal women. In the perimenopausal women, out of 63, 40 (77.08%) of the women experienced bladder problems, whereas in the menopausal females, a higher percentage, 71 (87.65%) experienced bladder problems. In contrast with the perimenopausal females, the majority of menopausal women had more severe urogenital symptoms. Mild mental exhaustion was reported by 27 (42.85%) perimenopausal women and 45 (55.56%) menopausal women. The majority of women in both groups had minimal symptoms. A significant positive correlation was observed between the severity of vasomotor symptoms and mean s.FSH. Conclusion: The higher prevalence of severe vasomotor, genitourinary, and psychological symptoms in menopausal women compared to perimenopausal women, as observed in our study, is a common trend in the literature. This trend highlights the progressive nature of menopausal symptoms, emphasizing the need for timely and effective management strategies.

Keywords

• follicle-stimulating hormone
• menopause
• severity of menopausal symptoms