A Prospective Randomized Interventional Study to Evaluate The Effect of Yoga on Quality of Life of Menopausal Women

Background: Menopause is an opportunity for the fullest blossoming of a woman's power, wisdom and creativity. Aim: This study tested the effect of yoga on quality of life of menopausal women. Methods: The study was conducted in selected areas in Chennai, Tamilnadu. Simple random sampling technique was used for the study. Of 260 menopausal women ,130 of them were allotted to study group and 130 of them to control group. The study group underwent yoga training and practiced yoga daily for 35-40mints /day for 12 weeks. Standardized WHO QOL BREF Scale was used to assess the menopausal women's quality of life. Result: There was extremely high significant difference found in all domains of quality of life at p=0.001 level between study group and control group at 12 weeks. Conclusion: The study concluded that, yoga is an effective intervention in improving the quality of life of menopausal women. ABSTRACT 1 . The onset of menopause heralds a time of diminished es- trogen exposure, which may have both acute and chronic effect on health and quality of life. The majority of women report hot flushes developing with increasing severity in the menopausal transition and becoming incessant in the years following last menstrual period. Observational studies suggests that, as many as 75% of women will experience hot flashes after menopause. Left untreated, most wom- en will have spontaneous cessation of hot flashes within 5 years, al- though some women continue to experience distressing symptoms for 30 years or more. 2 Menopause is a normal occurrence in the life of every woman. The term is derived from the Greek, which actually means 'cessation of pe- riods'. Menopause occurs due to cessation of ovarian function. Prior to cessation, there is a period, over 1 or 2 years of failing or declining ovarian function which is known as climacteric or premenopause 3 . It has been estimated that the onset of menopause usually begins between the ages of 45 and 55 years, with a worldwide average of about 51 years. According to the National Family Health Survey conducted in 1988 and 1999 , the mean age of onset of menopause in Indian women is about 44.3 years. With the average lifespan of a woman increasing in the recent years ( expected average lifespan of a woman in 2025 is 72 years ), it can be concluded that a considerably large number of women will lead one third of their life in the post- menopausal stage. These facts necessitate a need to understand and address the concerns of the postmenopausal women in a better and sophisticated way to help such women lead a healthy and happy life. There were an estimated 42.9 million women over the age of 50 in the United States (U.S) in 2000. By 2020, the number of women over age 55 is estimated to increase to 45.9 million. A woman who reaches age 54 today may expect to survive to age 84.3 years. 4,5 A wide array of symptoms and signs are observed in women during menopause which include: hot flushes, excessive perspiration , mood swings, depression, anxiety, insomnia, urinary symptoms like frequen- cy, nocturia, vaginal dryness, leucorrhoea, pruritis , bachache, muscle weakness , joint pain, memory loss, dementia, dental problems, skin changes and hirsutism etc . Many of the above symptoms are age re- lated and aggravated by stresses of life. A caring Gynaecological nurse must adopt a holistic approach and tender advice regarding diet, life- style and relaxation techniques to alleviate menopausal symptoms. 6,7