Menopause Age and the Associated Factors in Postmenopausal Women in Babol, Iran

Menopause plays a pivotal role in women’s life comprising of approximately one third of it. Nevertheless, few studies have focused on the significance of this period. This study aimed to determine the age of menopause and its associated factors in postmenopausal women in Babol, Iran This cross-sectional study was conducted by cluster sampling on 300 postmenopausal women identified by doorstep questioning of the homes in selected areas. The questionnaires consisted of information on the menopause age, body mass index (BMI), age at menarche, first pregnancy age, duration of hormonal contraceptive use, left-handedness, occupation, menstrual regularity, exercise, smoking habits, couple’s education degree, marital status, family size and the number of births and abortions. The collected data were registered into checklists and The Holmes & Rahe Stress Scale was used for the assessment of the variables. In total, the average age of menopause was 50.02±0.21 years, the average length of marriage was 42.10±0.63 years, age at last pregnancy was 35.15±0.35 years and the lactation duration was 106.02±3.5 months. A significant correlation was found between the length of marriage, age at last pregnancy, stress scores, lactation duration and the menopause age (p<0.001), while some factors such as BMI, regulation and age at menarche, duration of hormonal contraceptive use and exercise were found to have no significant correlations with the onset of menopause. According to the results of this study, the mean age of menopause in Babol is within the normal range and it is associated with the length of marriage, age at last pregnancy, stress scores and lactation duration.