Demographic and Health Surveys Methodology - Measure DHS

MENOPAUSEStatistics: Percentage of Women Who Are MenopausalDefinitionA. Coverage:1. Population base: Women of all marital statuses, between 30 and 49 years of age.2. Time period: Date of interview.B. Numerator: Number of women whose last menstruation occurred six or more months before thesurvey or before the last birth, who have had a hysterectomy, who declare that they aremenopausic, or who never menstruated. Excludes women who are currently pregnant orpostpartum amenorrheic.C. Denominator: Number of women of all marital statusesCalculationNumerator is divided by denominator and multiplied by 100 to get percentages.Handling of Missing ValuesWomen with inconsistent or missing values and “don’t know” on time since last menstrual period are notconsidered menopausic.Notes and ConsiderationsSince the purpose of the statistic is to measure biological non-exposure to the risk of pregnancy, whichincreases with age, women who had a hysterectomy and who never had a period are included, as well asthose who are truly menopausal. The lack of a period for six months (not postpartum) is taken as a primeindication of menopause in older women.Guide to DHS Statistics 77 Updated September 2006