Experiencing menopause in the UK: The interrelated narratives of normality, distress, and transformation

Journal of Women & Aging
Isabel de SalisDebbie A Lawlor

Abstract

We investigated the experience and perspectives of menopause among 48 UK mothers through qualitative in-depth interviews. Interviews were analyzed thematically then explored using social science theories. Three interdependent narratives emerged: menopause as a normal, biological process, distinct from self and social transitions; menopause as struggle, an "idiom of distress" expressing upset, identity loss, shame, and social upheaval; and menopause as transformative and liberating, arising from biopsychic and relational changes. Some women followed a predictable "rite of passage" trajectory with transformation emerging from distress, but not all: Menopause arises from a complex interplay of personal predicament, somatic change, and sociocultural context.

References

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Citations

Jun 6, 2019·Menopause : the Journal of the North American Menopause Society·Janet S CarpenterKaren K Schmidt
Aug 28, 2019·Menopause : the Journal of the North American Menopause Society·Janet S CarpenterKaren K Schmidt
Jan 6, 2021·Menopause : the Journal of the North American Menopause Society·Morgan E ArseneauLisa Taylor-Swanson
Sep 2, 2021·Menopause : the Journal of the North American Menopause Society·Amy L EdwardsTina Cartwright
Dec 3, 2021·Menopause : the Journal of the North American Menopause Society·Lynnette Leidy SievertDaniel E Brown
May 8, 2021··Madeline BalaamMarianela Ciolfi Felice

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
Hormone Replacement Therapy

Software Mentioned

IdeS
NVivo10
Taureg
AOS

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