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Background <p>Perimenopause represents a critical transitional stage in a woman’s life and is frequently accompanied by psychological disturbances, including depressive symptoms. Conventional depression screening instruments may not sufficiently address menopause-specific emotional and somatic experiences, underscoring the importance of context-specific evaluation in this population.</p> Objective <p>To determine the prevalence and severity of depression among perimenopausal women in India and to identify associated demographic, biological, and psychosocial factors to inform targeted screening and intervention strategies.</p> Methods <p>This pan-India, multicentric cross-sectional study enrolled 13,049 women from urban, rural, and semi-urban settings. Depression was assessed using the Meno-D Scale, a validated instrument specifically designed for perimenopausal women. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, reproductive history, medical comorbidities, and psychosocial variables were also collected to explore potential correlates.</p> Results <p>The overall prevalence of depression was 22.8% (95% CI: 22.1–23.5%). Of the total sample, 8.2% had mild, 7.7% moderate, and 6.9% severe depressive symptoms. Higher age, history of hysterectomy, lack of a partner or children, hypertension, elevated fasting blood glucose, and longer duration of amenorrhea were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Domains most prominently affected included reduced sexual interest, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and cognitive complaints.</p> Conclusion <p>Nearly one in four perimenopausal women in India experience depressive symptoms, indicating a substantial and often under-recognized mental health burden. These findings highlight the urgent need to integrate menopause-specific depression screening into primary care, reproductive health, and national women’s health programs. Public health policies should incorporate structured mental health assessment, community-level awareness initiatives, and culturally tailored psychosocial and clinical interventions to ensure early detection and timely management. Strengthening capacity-building and provider training can facilitate systematic identification and improve overall quality of life during the menopausal transition.</p>

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A Multicentric Observational Study on Depression in Perimenopausal Indian Women

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月4日

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  • Sunita Tandulwadkar,
  • Jaideep Malhotra,
  • Priya Gupta,
  • Sumitra Yadav,
  • Savita Tyagi,
  • Brajbala Tiwari,
  • Archana Dwivedi,
  • Reshmi Banerjee,
  • Priyanka Sinha,
  • G. Soumini

摘要

Background

Perimenopause represents a critical transitional stage in a woman’s life and is frequently accompanied by psychological disturbances, including depressive symptoms. Conventional depression screening instruments may not sufficiently address menopause-specific emotional and somatic experiences, underscoring the importance of context-specific evaluation in this population.

Objective

To determine the prevalence and severity of depression among perimenopausal women in India and to identify associated demographic, biological, and psychosocial factors to inform targeted screening and intervention strategies.

Methods

This pan-India, multicentric cross-sectional study enrolled 13,049 women from urban, rural, and semi-urban settings. Depression was assessed using the Meno-D Scale, a validated instrument specifically designed for perimenopausal women. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, reproductive history, medical comorbidities, and psychosocial variables were also collected to explore potential correlates.

Results

The overall prevalence of depression was 22.8% (95% CI: 22.1–23.5%). Of the total sample, 8.2% had mild, 7.7% moderate, and 6.9% severe depressive symptoms. Higher age, history of hysterectomy, lack of a partner or children, hypertension, elevated fasting blood glucose, and longer duration of amenorrhea were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Domains most prominently affected included reduced sexual interest, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and cognitive complaints.

Conclusion

Nearly one in four perimenopausal women in India experience depressive symptoms, indicating a substantial and often under-recognized mental health burden. These findings highlight the urgent need to integrate menopause-specific depression screening into primary care, reproductive health, and national women’s health programs. Public health policies should incorporate structured mental health assessment, community-level awareness initiatives, and culturally tailored psychosocial and clinical interventions to ensure early detection and timely management. Strengthening capacity-building and provider training can facilitate systematic identification and improve overall quality of life during the menopausal transition.