Experiences and representations about menopause in a group of climacteric women living in the southern region of Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Lorenzi,Dino Roberto Soares De
• Data de Publicação: 2008
• Outros Autores: Herédia,Vânia Beatriz Merloti, Mariani,Helena Rizzon
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Geriatrics, Gerontology and Aging (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://ggaging.com/details/348
• topic: Climacterium, menopause, qualititative study.

<p><b>OBJECTIVES:</b> To identify experiences and representations related to menopause in a group of climacteric women living in the southern region of Brazil.<br> <b>METHODS:</b> A qualitative study involving 30 postmenopausal women aged between 45 and 60, living in the city of Caxias do Sul, RS. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Interviews analysis was based on analysis of contend.<br> <b>RESULTS:</b> Interviewees were in average 54.3 (± 3.9) years old, presenting an average menopause time of 6.7 years. Four categories were delineated from the narratives obtained as representative of menopause: climacteric symptoms, sexual changes, emotional difficulties and social adaptation. Most common complaints were hot flushes, followed by urogenital atrophy and sexually related changes. Also common were complaints about anxiety, irritability, and depressive mood. Feelings of change pervaded the speeches of interviewed women, being common references to menopause as a period of loses and aging alternated with manifestations of satisfaction due to cessation of menstrual bleeding and higher self-confidence. Attitudes and feelings related to menopause showed to be influenced by the social environment and culture.<br> <b>CONCLUSIONS:</b> Analysis of interviews pointed out to menopause as a biological event which has effects on the psychological field, influenced by the social imaginary and cultural background of each woman. An interconnection of biological, psychological and social issues has been identified, which makes it difficult for the woman to differentiate what results from the body, from the mind or from both.</p>