Menopause-specific questionnaire assessment in US population-based study shows negative impact on health-related quality of life

Objective

To use the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL) to assess the impact of menopausal symptoms on health-related quality of life in a large US population-based study.

Methods

Participants were recruited from the US population through random-digit-dialing and probability sampling. Analyses included 2703 postmenopausal women 40–65 years old in our Menopause Epidemiology Study. Respondents answered a 30-min questionnaire, including the MENQOL.

Results

Scores for each domain were: vasomotor: 3.2 ± 2.2; psycho-social: 3.3 ± 1.8; physical: 3.5 ± 1.5; sexual: 2.9 ± 2.1. There were significant differences in the MENQOL scores by age, smoking, exercise, education, employment status and BMI. Women aged 60–65 years (p < 0.0001), with a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education (p < 0.0001), who exercised at least 3 days a week (p < 0.0001), who had never smoked (p < 0.0001), with a body mass index ≤25 kg/m² (p < 0.0001), and who had significantly lower scores indicating better quality of life. Hot flashes affected work (46.0%), social activities (44.4%), leisure activities (47.6%), sleep (82.0%), mood (68.6%), concentration (69.0%), sexual activity (40.9%), total energy level (63.3%) and overall quality of life (69.3%).

Conclusion

Symptoms experienced during menopause and socio-demographic characteristics affect the quality of life in postmenopausal women. Hot flashes impact the daily activities of most postmenopausal women, especially those with more frequent/severe symptoms. Treatments that safely and effectively treat these symptoms could improve quality of life among postmenopausal women.