ABSTRACT:Background: Menopause is the stage when the menstrual period permanently stops, and is a part of every woman’s life. It usually occurs between the ages of 40 and 55 years, and is associated with hormonal, physical, and psychological changes. Estrogen and progesterone levels play the biggest part in menopause. In this stage, the ovaries make less estrogen and progesterone. When the body produces less of these hormones, the parts of the body that depend on estrogen to keep them healthy will react and this often causes discomfort for women. This study tested the impact of a Preksha Meditation on menopausal syndrome.
Methods: A community-based interventional study was conducted in selected areas in Jaipur, Balotra (Rajasthan), A simple random sampling technique was used to select menopausal women for the study. Of 60 menopausal women identified, 30 were allocated to a study group and 30 to a control group. The study group underwent Preksha Meditation training for 15 days. After the 15-day intensive meditation training program, the menopausal women practiced meditation daily at home for 45 minutes a day. The meditation training program consisted of Mahaprana Dhvani, Kayotsarga, Perception of Psychic centres and Contemplation,. The Menopausal Rating scale was used to assess the women’s quality of life. We distributed an instruction manual on steps of selected meditation practice for the women’s self-reference at home after the 15 days of continuous meditation practice. A meditation practice diary was used to confirm regular performance of yoga.
Results: There was an extremely high statistically significant difference (P=0.001) between the study group and the control group with regard to the somatovegetative, psychological, and urological domains of MRS after 6 months of Preksha Meditation therapy. The mean gain score was high in all the domains of MRS in the study group at weeks 6 month. In the study group, the somatovegetative, psychological, urological of MRS were greatly improved by practicing PM for 6 months. No adverse events were reported by the women after PM practice.
Conclusion: Quality of life in menopausal women was greatly improved after 6 months of PM practice. Women who regularly practice PM find that they are able to enjoy menopause and experience the freedom, and energy that it brings. We conclude that PM is an effective complementary therapy for menopausal syndrome.