Background: Menopause is an important part of the life of a woman. The perception and reaction to these symptoms vary from woman to woman and among different tribes and races. Nigerian women are becoming more aware of menopause and its associated problems through the media and other sources. This has important implications including health and financial burden of treatment and loss of work hours.
Objective: To determine the pattern of menopausal symptoms and factors affecting them among Ibo women in southeast and Hausa women in northeast geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 261 randomly selected postmenopausal women from the southeast and northeast geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
Results: The mean age of the respondent was 52.68 ± 5.76. Major complaints were joint and body pains (74%), reduction in scalp hair volume (57%), internal heat (51.7%), and vulvar pruritus (47.1%). Most of them had multiple symptoms with moderate severity (58.6%). Vulva vagina dryness was observed in age group of 50–54 years while underweight women presented more with forgetfulness. Women with tertiary education were more likely to experience severe symptoms and to seek medical help, and Ibo women were more likely to have their daily functions affected by menopause (P < 0.05). Only 7.9% of the respondents had knowledge of treatment for menopausal symptoms.
Conclusion: There is an increased awareness of menopause among women in this population. Menopausal women mainly experienced body and joint pains and reduction in scalp hair volume, contrary to commonly held view that dark-skinned women mainly experience vasomotor symptoms. Menopausal clinics will address these problems.