Is menopausal status related to women's attitudes toward menopause and aging?

Women's experiences in the transition to menopause: a qualitative research

Background

Around the time of transition to menopausal period, women experience mental, and psychological disorders that require adequate attention to these symptoms. This study aimed to explore the experiences of women in the face of premenopausal symptoms.

Methods

This qualitative study was conducted using a content analysis method in Javanrood, Iran, in 2020. The data were collected through in-depth semi-structured face to face interviews with 16 premenopausal using interview guide in a private room in comprehensive health centers. The women inclusion criteria were approaching menopause, having irregular menstruation, and having no disease or medication that affects menstruation. Furthermore, the exclusion criteria were the absence of menstruation for more than 12 months, and the women's refusal to continue the interview. The participants were selected using purposive sampling and sampling continued until data saturation. The collected data were analyzed with MAXQDA10 software following the multi-step method proposed by Graneheim and Lundman.

Results

The participants' mean age was 47 ± 2.98 years. The data analysis revealed 5 categories including: "menopause and aging", "life transformation", confrontation of fear and hope", "life adjustment", and "need to facilitate the transition time".

Conclusion

This study suggested the women's experience of the transition to menopause was characterized by the fear of the future and its consequences and the need for reassurance about it. Besides, the women sought solutions to their problems in health care providers, peers, and the family.

Influencing factors on women's attitudes toward menopause: a systematic review

IMPORTANCE

Menopause is a natural stage of the reproductive life of a woman. This natural event might affect activities of daily living and cause problems for women. Positive attitudes toward menopause can improve women's quality of life and reduce the severity of menopausal symptoms.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this systematic review was to assess the factors influencing women's attitudes toward menopause.

EVIDENCE REVIEW

This systematic review was conducted based on the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guideline in medical databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar, as well as Magiran, and SID until October 2020.

FINDINGS

A total of 7,512 articles were identified. Eight articles were included in the review after excluding the duplicates and screening the articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The majority of the studies used the Attitude Toward Menopause Scale to assess the attitudes toward menopause. This variable differed between the studies conducted in different regions and countries. Furthermore, postmenopausal women had more positive attitudes toward menopause compared with peri- or premenopausal women. Other influencing factors of attitudes toward menopause included age, menopausal symptoms, psychological and socioeconomical status, and profession and ethnicity.

CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE

The findings showed that menopausal stage, menopausal symptoms, and psychological and socioeconomic status can influence the attitude of women toward menopause. Therefore, these factors should be considered in interventions that aim to improve women's attitudes toward menopause.

Qualitative exploration of the reproductive health perceptions of middle-aged women in the United States

Empirical literature exploring the reproductive health experiences of middle-aged women is limited. Little is known about their experiences and decision-making processes related to reproductive health. The purpose of the Reproductive Health Seeking (RHS) study was to expand the understanding of reproductive health knowledge and influences impacting health decisions for middle-aged women. Thirty women aged 45-64 participated in semi-structured interviews and a focus group. Results highlighted a variety of experiences related to reproductive health including women's perceptions of reproductive health-related cancers, community resources for reproductive-related health education, and factors that influence reproductive health and healthcare seeking behavior. Results demonstrated that women are impacted by their conversations with family and friends, seek information through a variety of channels, and are calling for more information on a variety of reproductive health-related issues outside of breast cancer campaigns.

Relationship Between Frequency and Intensity of Menopausal Symptoms and Quality of Life Among Polish Nurses

PURPOSE

The study aims to compare the quality of life of nurses in the somatic, mental, social and environmental dimensions in the full reproductive and perimenopausal period and to determine the relationship between the frequency and intensity of menopausal symptoms and the quality of life of nurses aged 45-55.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study involved 334 nurses, of which: 158 (47.31%) were aged 25-35 and 176 (52.69%) aged 45-55, included in the perimenopausal group. A diagnostic survey was used as the research method and the WHOQoL-Bref Questionnaire and the Menopause Symptom List were used to collect data.

RESULTS

Nurses aged 25-35 achieved a significantly (p < 0.02) higher level of satisfaction with overall health quality (M = 3.9; SD = ±0.7) than nurses in the 45-55 age group (M = 3.7; SD = ±0.7). A variation in the frequency (F = 62.64; p < 0.0001) and intensity (F = 130.18; p < 0.0001) of menopausal symptoms was identified. It was found that the frequency and intensity of psychological symptoms were significantly higher than vasomotor (p < 0.0001) and somatic (p < 0.0001) symptoms. Additionally, negative relations between the frequency and intensity of menopausal symptoms and the quality of life of nurses in the 45-55 age group in the somatic, mental, social and environmental domains were demonstrated, with their value ranging from r = -0.19 to r = -0.48.

CONCLUSION

The quality of life of the examined nurses varies. In the perimenopausal period, the frequency and intensity of psychological, vasomotor and somatic symptoms have a significant negative impact on the quality of life of nurses.