Women's Health World Conference 2026

Abstract

Menopausal symptoms are common but frequently under-recognized in clinical care, particularly amongst South Asian women. Symptom severity is often attributed to weight gain or aging, with limited attention to the menopausal stage and the clustering of symptoms that characterize the menopausal transition. This study examined how menopausal stage, symptom domains, and BMI relate to overall menopausal symptom burden in midlife South Asian women.

Methods: We analysed self-reported symptoms and demographic data from 338 South Asian women in India with a survey. Twenty common menopausal symptoms were rated on a 0–3 severity scale and summed to generate total and domain-specific symptom scores. Menopausal stage was determined using symptom-informed assessments. Associations between menopausal stage, symptom domains, BMI, and overall symptom burden were examined using descriptive and correlational analyses.

Results: The mean age of participants was 44.2 years. Total menopausal symptom burden increased across menopausal stages, with the highest scores observed among perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. Psychological symptoms, including irritability, low mood, anxiety, and cognitive complaints, showed the strongest association with overall symptom burden (r = 0.88), followed by physical and digestive symptoms (r = 0.82), urogenital symptoms (r = 0.74), skin and hair symptoms (r = 0.73), and sleep disturbances (r = 0.65). Despite a high prevalence of overweight (55.6%) and obesity (26.3%) in the cohort, BMI demonstrated only a negligible correlation with total symptom burden (r = 0.046). Chronic medical conditions showed a weak positive association with symptom severity (r = 0.11).

Conclusion: In South Asian women, menopausal symptom burden is driven primarily by menopausal stage and symptom patterns (particularly psychological symptoms) rather than BMI alone. These findings highlight the need for menopause-focused, symptom-driven screening approaches that move beyond weight-based assessments and support the development of technology-enabled models of midlife care tailored to South Asian populations.