Introduction
The Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire (MENQOL) is a 29-item self-administered measure of menopause-specific health-related quality of life, based on women's experiences after menopause. John R. Hilditch and colleagues published it in 1996 in Maturitas, and it has received more than 1,100 citations.
The MENQOL measures how much menopausal symptoms and problems bother women across four domains. This guide explains its domains, scoring, versions and evidence.
Key Features of the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL)
Purpose and Use
The MENQOL assesses the extent to which menopausal symptoms bother women in the vasomotor, psychosocial, physical and sexual domains.
Target Population
The MENQOL was developed in postmenopausal women aged 47 to 62.
Structure
The MENQOL has 29 items in four domains:
Domain
What it covers
Items
Vasomotor
Hot flashes, night sweats and sweating
1–3
Psychosocial
Memory, concentration, mood, anxiety and related concerns
4–10
Physical
Energy, sleep, aches, urinary symptoms and other bodily changes
11–26
Sexual
Sexual desire, vaginal dryness during intercourse and avoiding intimacy
27–29
Scoring Method
For each item, respondents say whether they had the symptom in the past month. If yes, they rate how much it bothered them from 0 (not at all bothered) to 6 (extremely bothered). Responses are then converted to an 8-point scale:
Response
Item score
No symptom
1
Symptom present, bother rating 0
2
Bother ratings 1 to 6
3 to 8
Domain scores: the mean item score in each domain, from 1 to 8.No total: there is no overall score, because the relative contribution of each domain is unknown.Higher scores mean more symptom-related bother and poorer menopause-specific quality of life.
Administration Format
The MENQOL is a self-administered questionnaire.
Applications of the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL)
The MENQOL supports several uses:
Research: measuring menopause-specific quality of life in postmenopausal women.Treatment studies: the original study supported its responsiveness to change.Burden studies: examining the quality-of-life burden of vasomotor symptoms.Languages and availability
The MENQOL has been translated and validated in several languages:
French: validation in women treated for gynecological or breast cancerKorean: validity and reliabilityOdia (India): translation, reliability and validityHindi: study in CureusUse the authorized version and its recall period, and do not change wording, translate items yourself or alter the scoring without permission and justification. A copy of the questionnaire is available online.
Reliability and Validity
The original development study showed good internal consistency across all four domains and supported the MENQOL's responsiveness to change. However, vasomotor test–retest reliability was low, and the authors noted uncertainty about its evaluative validity.
Validation studies:
A menopause-specific quality of life questionnaire: development and psychometric properties (1996): study linkValidity and reliability of the Korean MENQOL (2020): study linkValidation of the MENQOL in women treated for gynecological or breast cancer (2018): study linkOdia version of the MENQOL (2022): study linkLimitations and Considerations
Keep these points in mind:
Restricted development sample: women were aged 47–62, 2–7 years after menopause, had an intact uterus, and had not used hormone therapy in the previous six months.Vasomotor reliability: test–retest reliability of the vasomotor domain was low.No total score: the four domains must be reported separately.Other populations: use in other groups should be supported by relevant validation evidence.Other Versions And Related Questionnaires
The MENQOL-Intervention questionnaire is a modified version developed in later psychometric work.
These questionnaires are related:
Menopause Rating Scale (MRS)Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ)Additional Resources
The original article: linkA European survey of the burden of vasomotor symptoms: linkFor licensing and inquiries, contact Mapi Research Trust, PROVIDE, 27 rue de la Villette, 69003 Lyon, France, +33 (0)4 72 13 66 66.Browse more obstetrics and gynecology questionnaires in the ResRef database.Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What does the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire measure?The MENQOL measures how much menopausal symptoms bother women across four domains: vasomotor, psychosocial, physical and sexual, using 29 items about the past month.
How is the MENQOL scored?Each item is converted to 1 (no symptom) to 8 (extremely bothered), and each domain score is the mean of its items, from 1 to 8. Higher scores mean poorer menopause-specific quality of life.
Does the MENQOL have a total score?No. There is no overall total, because the relative contribution of each domain to an overall score is unknown. The four domain scores are reported separately.
Who was the MENQOL developed for?It was developed in postmenopausal women aged 47 to 62 who were 2 to 7 years after menopause, had an intact uterus, and had not recently used hormone therapy.
A Word from ResRef About the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL)
The MENQOL is a self-administered questionnaire developed to assess menopause-specific quality of life across four domains in postmenopausal women. The original development study demonstrated good internal consistency across all four domains and supported the instrument's responsiveness to change. However, vasomotor test–retest reliability was low, and the authors identified uncertainty regarding its evaluative validity. The original validation population was restricted to women aged 47–62 years who were 2–7 years postmenopause, had an intact uterus, and had not used hormone therapy during the preceding six months; application to other populations should be supported by relevant validation evidence.
References
Hilditch, J. R., Lewis, J., Peter, A., van Maris, B., Ross, A., Franssen, E., Guyatt, G. H., Norton, P. G., & Dunn, E. (1996). A menopause-specific quality of life questionnaire: development and psychometric properties. Maturitas, 24(3), 161–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0378-5122(96)82006-8Dolye, C., Adams, L., McAndrew, A., Burlein-Hall, S., DasGupta, T., Blake, D. J., & Fitch, M. (2018). Validation du questionnaire MENQOL avec les femmes ayant été traitées pour un cancer gynécologique ou du sein. Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal = Revue Canadienne de Nursing Oncologique, 28(3), 234–239. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31148826/Park, J., Bae, S. H., & Jung, Y. (2020). Validity and Reliability of the Korean Version of the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing, 50(3), 487. https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.20049Beura, S., Patnaik, L., & Sahu, M. (2022). Translation, Reliability, and Validity Test of Odia Version of Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire Among Postmenopausal Women for Menopausal Symptoms. Journal of Mid-life Health, 13(2), 121–126. https://doi.org/10.4103/jmh.jmh_222_21Lewis, J. E., Hilditch, J. R., & Wong, C. J. (2005). Further psychometric property development of the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire and development of a modified version, MENQOL-Intervention questionnaire. Maturitas, 50(3), 209–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2004.06.015