Perimenopausal Stage: Perception, Benefit and Opinion of Husbands and Wives

Perimenopause or "menopause transition": Can begin eight to 10 years before menopause, when the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen. Females are not expected to discuss about this topic as it is considered taboo in society. The current study is based on the perception of husband’s (47-58 years) and wives (40-55 years) regarding perimenopausal stage, regarding perimenopause, signs and symptoms, challenges or difficulties, benefits, experiences and treatments. Aims of the study were: [1] To ascertain perception of Husband’s (47-58 years) and Wives (40-55 years) regarding: a) meaning b) physical symptoms c) discussion among couples. [2] To identify benefits of perimenopausal stage as observed by Husband’s (47-58 years) and Wives (40-55 years): a) finding sex more physically comfortable. b) feeling relief about not being pregnant and not taking contraceptives c) seeking medical treatment d) remedies for reducing the symptoms. [3] To develop or design a brochure/pamphlet for better understanding and knowledge regarding perimenopausal stage. Research design was exploratory and snowball sampling was implemented with a total sample of 200 participants (100 Husbands and 100 Wives) using a self-constructed tool (5 open and 15 closed ended items). Results revealed, (61%) discuss the changes faced during perimenopausal stage with their spouse while (39%) do not discuss. (42%) Neither agree nor disagree while (3%) Strongly agree finding sex more physically comfortable after perimenopause.


Introduction
Menopause is the time that marks the end of your menstrual cycles.The arduous phase that the individual endures before she reaches menopause is called perimenopause.Although perimenopause can cause some noticeable and uncomfortable changes.It is highly acclaimed when it comes to menstruation, how important spousal support has been.Biological science and Psychology talk about the change that can be brought in when women experience the luxury of having their spouses beside them, especially with emotional support (Bahri et al., 2016).It can be specifically said as a "luxury", as the number of women lacking effective assistance is high (Hassan et al., 2020).Effective management by making healthy lifestyle choices may help ease some symptoms of perimenopause and promote good health as you age.

Need of the Study: (Rationale)
Someone who should be the biggest support, as the one who would be the first to know his spouse is experiencing a difficult phase, is the one who turns a blind eye and deaf ear.A woman may experience various symptoms and changes as a result of this condition, making it a volatile combination.(https://www.womensweb.in/2023/01/we-need-to-talk-about-menopause-enough-silence-jan23wk2sr/)Menopausal transition can affect her physical, emotional, mental and social well-being (WHO, 2022), but her desire to be understood rather than treated emphasizes the need for emotional and social support (Singh et al., 2020).Thus "training menopausal health to husbands can increase women's marital satisfaction in the period of menopausal transition."(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5432462/) The objectives of the present study were as follows: 1.To ascertain the perception of Husbands (47-58 Years) and Wives (40-55Years) regarding: a) meaning b) physical symptoms c) discussion among couples.2. To identify benefits of the perimenopausal stage as observed by Husbands (47-58 years) and Wives (40-55 years): a) finding sex more physically comfortable.b) feeling relief about not being pregnant and not taking contraceptives c) seeking medical treatment d) remedies for reducing the symptoms.3. To develop or design a brochure/pamphlet for better understanding and knowledge regarding perimenopausal stage.

Research Methodology Research Design:
The current research was Exploratory Research to study a relatively unexplored area about perception of husband and wives regarding perimenopause.
Sampling Technique, Sample Size and Sample Characteristics: Snowball and Convenience sampling techniques were employed for selecting participants.The total sample size consisted of 200 participants [100 were husbands (47-58 years) & 100 were wives (40-55 years)].Majority of the participants were in service (62%) followed by participants being Homemakers (25%).More of the participants were living in nuclear families (56.5%) a quarter of the participants lived in extended family (31%).

Inclusion & Exclusion criteria:
The key features of the target population that the investigators will use to answer their research question.In this research it was as follows: 1. Participants between age husbands (47-58 years) & wives (40-55 years) from all religious backgrounds were included.2. Participants from all income groups were included.Participants who live in any type of family (nuclear, joint, or extended).Participants from all family backgrounds were included except single-parent families to have an overall perception of husbands regarding perimenopause.Female participants who went under surgical intervention (removal of uterus/ovaries-damaged through chemotherapy) and who had attained menopause were excluded.

Research process and development of tool:
The researchers have developed a self-constructed semistructured questionnaire for the study.The tool was partly self-constructed and partly a standardized tool.The proforma was based on the inclusion as well as exclusion criteria of the study.There were 14 questions in the Proforma (3 open ended 11 closed ended).It was obtained with the age of the perimenopausal women and their husband's contact, address, educational qualification, religion, occupation, marital status, type of family, work experience.Further converted the questionnaire into a google form please find the google link-https://forms.gle/t1vXVNGiqAqRhBcEA Plan of Analysis: Data was analysed quantitatively wherein frequency and percentages were drawn and tabulated.Total 200 participants (100 husbands and 100 wives) across India, were contacted and the study was conducted from the Indian population.Results obtained from the 200 participants (100 husbands and 100 wives) have been computed.The most common physical symptom experienced was 'muscle and joint pain' (54%), followed by 'headaches' (52.5%) and 'increased weight' (40%).Actual number of the participants (2%) mentioned about not experiencing any physical change.(Refer to Table 2) Table No 3 78 (39) Majority of participants responded as YES (61%) they do discuss it with their spouse.A little more than one third of the participants responded as NO (39%) they do not discuss with their spouse about the changes faced during perimenopausal stage.(Refer to Table 3) Objective 2: To identify benefits of perimenopausal stage as observed by Husband (47-58 years) and Wives (40-55 years): a) finding sex more physically comfortable.b) feeling relief about not being pregnant and not taking contraceptives c) seeking medical treatment d) remedies for reducing the symptoms.(Refer Table 4)

Finding sex more physically comfortable after perimenopausal stage
Little more than one third of the participants selected Neither agree nor disagree (42%) as an option.Actual number of the participants Strongly agree (3%) with the statement.(Refer to Table 4)

Feeling relief about not being pregnant and not taking contraceptives
Little more than a quarter of the participants Agree (27%) and actual number of the participants (4%) Strongly Disagree feeling relief about not being pregnant and not taking contraceptives.(Refer to Table 4)

Seeking medical treatment
Little more than a quarter of the participants Somewhat agree (27.5%) and few of the participants Disagree (17.5%) about if women should seek medical treatment during the perimenopausal stage.(Refer to Table 4)

Remedies for reducing the symptoms of perimenopausal stage
Taking progesterone injection as the remedy for reducing the symptoms of perimenopause, more than a quarter of the participants mentioned Disagree (36%).Surprisingly, (10.5%) of participants Somewhat agree.(Refer to Table 4)  4. One of the most important contributions of the research was to develop awareness among husbands and wives regarding the perimenopausal stage.5.This study also helps other researchers who choose to research further in this area.

Objective 1 :
To ascertain the perception of Husbands (47-58 Years) and Wives (40-55 Years) regarding: a) meaning b) physical symptoms c) discussion among couples Perception of Husbands (47-58 Years) and Wives (40-55 Years) regarding: a) meaning b) physical symptoms c) discussion among couples.(Refer to

:
Discussion of symptoms of perimenopause among couples, according to husbands (47-58 years) [n=100] and wives (40-55 years) [n=100] Do you/ does your spouse talk about the changes

Objective 3 :
To develop or design a brochure/pamphlet regarding preparing husbands and wives for better understanding regarding the perimenopausal stage.• Email: editor@ijfmr.comIJFMR240114136 Volume 6, Issue 1, January-February 2024 10

Table 1 ,
2, and 3) Multiple responses were obtained Majority of the participants defined the term Perimenopause as making the natural transition to menopause (61.5%) by the body.Little more than quarter of them stated changing of hormonal level (25.5%) but menstruation still occurs.(Referto Table1) *Note: Multiple responses were obtained