INTRODUCTION The WHO (1996) has defined menopause as the permanent cessation of the menstrual cycle which leads to the loss of the follicular activity of ovaries. It is a stage in which there is no menstrual cycle for more than 12 months. There is also a significant drop in the two most essential hormones of the female body, estrogen and progesterone. This physiological development marks the onset of end of a woman's reproductive function and in turn introducing them to a new phase of life. Although menopause is a universal phenomenon, there is considerable variation among women regarding the age of attaining menopause and the manifestation of menopausal signs and symptoms. Moreover, neither the definition stated by WHO, nor that of the International Menopause Society (IMS) is satisfactorily apt for female reproductive ageing. Worldwide, the estimates for the median age at menopause range from 45 to 55 years (Biri, Bakar, Maral, Karabacak, &Bumin, 2005; Kaufert&Syrotuik, 1981; Kaw, Khunnu, &Vasishta, 1994; Ku et al., 2004; Meschia et al., 2000; Mohammadm, Sadat Hashemi, &Farahani, 2004; Sidhu&Sidhu, 1987; Syamala&Sivakami, 2005), with women from Western countries having a higher menopausal age compared to women from other parts of the world (Beard, 1976; Holte, 1991; Wright, 1981). Many studies have shown that several factors like biological (e.g., genetic, nutritional, and reproductive history), sociocultural (e.g., educational, occupational, smoking habit and rural-urban residence), and lifestyle (e.g., smoking and use of tobacco and dietary habits) affect the age of menopause (Bernis&Reher, 2007; Brambilla& McKinaly,1989; Kaw et al., 1994; Luoto, Kaprio, &Uutela, 1994). Nowadays, most women across the globe expectedly live at least one-third of their lives in the menopause. Specifically, theories project that by 2020, approximately 52 million women will be 55 years and older (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). This age group has aptly is known as ―the next frontier in women's health care, and therefore brings forward a necessary concern for health and well-being for this large and growing American women population (Frackiewicz, 2000),
