Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Women's Health
Published in: BMC Women's Health 1/2014

Open Access 01-12-2014 | Research article

Exploring Australian Aboriginal Women’s experiences of menopause: a descriptive study

Authors: Janelle R Jurgenson, Emma K Jones, Emma Haynes, Charmaine Green, Sandra C Thompson

Published in: BMC Women's Health | Issue 1/2014

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Despite extensive literature demonstrating differing experiences in menopause around the world, documentation of the experience of menopause in Australian Aboriginal women is scarce, and thus their menopausal experience is relatively unknown. This study aimed to understand Australian Aboriginal women’s understanding and experience of menopause and its impact on their lives.

Methods

The study was an exploratory qualitative study. Twenty-five Aboriginal women were recruited from a regional centre in the Mid-West region of Western Australia using opportunistic and snowballing sampling. Interviews and focus group discussions were undertaken from February 2011 to February 2012 using open-ended questioning with a yarning technique. Thematic analysis was undertaken of the transcribed interviews.

Results

A number of themes were revealed. These related to the language used, meanings and attitudes to menopause, symptoms experienced, the role of men, a lack of understanding, coping mechanisms and the attribution of menopausal changes to something else. The term “change of life” was more widely recognised and signified the process of ageing, and an associated gain of respect in the local community. A fear of menopausal symptoms or uncertainty about their origin was also common. Overall, many women reported insufficient understanding and a lack of available information to assist them and their family to understand the transition.

Conclusion

There are similarities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal experiences of menopause, including similar symptom profiles. The current language used within mainstream health settings may not be appropriate to this population if it fails to recognise the importance of language and reflect the attributed meaning of menopause. The fear of symptoms and uncertainty of their relationship to menopause demonstrated a need for more information which has not adequately been supplied to Australian Aboriginal women through current services. While this study is with a select population of Aboriginal Australian women, it reveals the importance of acknowledging differences, particularly in use of language to convey ideas and support Aboriginal women experiencing menopause.
Literature
1.
Guthrie J, Dennerstein L, Taffe JR, Lehert P, Lehert BH: Hot flushes during the menopause transition: a longitudinal study in Australian-born women. Menopause. 2005, 12 (4): 460-467. 10.1097/01.GME.0000155200.80687.BE.CrossRefPubMed
2.
Adekunle AO, Fawole AO, Okunlola MA: Perceptions and attitudes of Nigerian women about the menopause. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2000, 20 (5): 525-529. 10.1080/014436100434767.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Anderson D, Yoshizawa T: Cross-cultural comparison of health-related quality of life in Australian and Japanese midlife women: the Australian and Japanese midlife women’s health study. Menopause. 2007, 14 (4): 607-707.CrossRef
4.
Anderson D, Yoshizawa T, Gollschewski S, Atogami F, Courtney M: Menopause in Australia and Japan: effects of country of residence on menopausal status and menopausal symptoms. Climacteric. 2004, 7 (2): 165-174. 10.1080/13697130410001713760.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Avis NE, Stellato R, Crawford S, Bromberger J, Ganz P, Cain V, Kagawa-Singer M: Is there a menopausal syndrome? Menopausal status and symptoms across racial/ethnic groups. Soc Sci Med. 2001, 52 (3): 345-356. 10.1016/S0277-9536(00)00147-7.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Castelo-Branco C, Palacios S, Mostajo D, Tobar C, von Helde S: Menopausal transition in Movima women, a Bolivian native-American. Maturitas. 2005, 51 (4): 380-385. 10.1016/j.maturitas.2004.09.004.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Dillaway H, Byrnes M, Miller S, Rehan S: Talking “among Us”: How women from different racial-ethnic groups define and discuss menopause. Health Care Women Int. 2008, 29: 766-781. 10.1080/07399330802179247.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Fu S-Y, Anderson D, Courtney M: Cross-cultural menopausal experience: comparison of Australian and Taiwanese women. Nurs Health Sci. 2003, 5: 77-84. 10.1046/j.1442-2018.2003.00139.x.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Gold EB, Sternfeld B, Kelsey JL, Brown C, Mouton C, Raeme N, Salamone L, Stellato R: Relation of demographic and lifestyle factors to symptoms in a multi-racial/ethnic population of women 40-55 years of age. Am J Epidemiol. 2000, 152 (5): 463-473. 10.1093/aje/152.5.463.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Grisso JA, Freeman EW, Maurin E, Garcia-Espana B, Berlin JA: Racial differences in menopause information and the experience of hot flashes. J Gen Intern Med. 1999, 14 (2): 98-103. 10.1046/j.1525-1497.1999.00294.x.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Jassim GA, Al-Shboul Q: Attitudes of Bahraini women towards the menopause: implications for health care policy. Maturitas. 2008, 59 (4): 358-372. 10.1016/j.maturitas.2008.03.014.CrossRefPubMed
12.
Lawton BA, Rose SB, Cormack DM, Stanley J, Dowell AC: The menopause symptom profile of Maori and non-Maori women in New Zealand. Climacteric. 2008, 11 (6): 467-474. 10.1080/13697130802351094.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Madden S, St Pierre-Hanse N, Kelly L, Cromarty H, Linkewich B, Payne L: First nations women’s knowledge of menopause: Experiences and perspectives. Candian Family Physician. 2010, 56 (9): 331-337.
14.
McCarthy T: The prevalence of symptoms in menopausal women in the Far East: Singapore segment. Maturitas. 1994, 19 (3): 199-204. 10.1016/0378-5122(94)90072-8.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Obermeyer CM, Reher D, Saliba M: Symptoms, menopause status, and country differences: a comparative analysis from DAMES. Menopause. 2007, 14 (4): 788-797. 10.1097/gme.0b013e318046eb4a.CrossRefPubMed
16.
Ortega-Ceballos PA, Moran C, Blanco-Munoz J, Yunes-Diaz E, Castaneda-Iniguez MS, Salmeron J: Reproductive and lifestyle factors associated with early menopause in Mexican women. Salud Publica Mex. 2006, 48 (4): 300-307.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Parsons MA, Obermeyer CM: Women’s midlife health across cultures: DAMES comparative analysis. Menopause. 2007, 14 (4): 760-768. 10.1097/gme.0b013e3180415e54.CrossRefPubMed
18.
19.
Zeserson JM: How Japanese women talk about hot flushes: implications for menopause research. Med Anthropol Q. 2001, 15 (2): 189-205. 10.1525/maq.2001.15.2.189.CrossRefPubMed
20.
Deeks A: Is this menopause? Women in midlife–psychosocial issues. Aust Fam Physician. 2004, 33 (11): 889-893.PubMed
21.
Nusrat N, Nishat Z, Gulfareen H, Aftab M, Asia N: Knowledge, attitude and experience of menopause. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2008, 20 (1): 56-59.PubMed
22.
Progetto Menopausa Italia Study Group: Factors associated with climacteric symptoms in women around menopause attending menopause clinics in Italy. Maturitas. 2005, 52 (3/4): 181-189.
23.
Skrzypulec V, Dabrowska J, Drosdzol A: The influence of physical activity level on climacteric symptoms in menopausal women. Climacteric. 2010, 13 (4): 355-361. 10.3109/13697131003597019.CrossRefPubMed
24.
Winterich JA, Umberson D: How women experience menopause: the importance of social context. J Women Aging. 1999, 11 (4): 57-73. 10.1300/J074v11n04_05.CrossRefPubMed
25.
Pink B, Allbon P, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Bureau of Statistics: The Health and Welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Peoples 2005. ABS Catalogue No. 4704.0, AIHW Catalogue No. IHW 21 edn. 2008, Canberra: ABS, AIHW
26.
Burns J, Maling CM, Thomson N: Summary of Indigenous women’s health. Australian Indigenous Health Reviews. 2010, Mount Lawley, Western Australia: Australian Indigenous Health InfoNet - Centre for Indigenous Australian Education and Research Edith Cowan University
27.
Jones EK, Jurgenson JR, Katzenellenbogen JM, Thompson SC: Menopause and the influence of culture: another gap for Indigenous Australian women?. BMC Womens Health. 2012, 12 (1): 43-10.1186/1472-6874-12-43.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
28.
McKenna EM: The experience, knowledge and relevance of menopause to aboriginal and Caucasian women in Far North Queensland. Masters Thesis - Masters of Medical Science. 2001, Cairns: The University of Queensland
29.
Congress Alukura Naganampa Health Council: Minymaku Kutju Tjukurpa (Women’s Business Manual). 2008, Alice Springs: Congress Alukura: Nganampa Health Council, 4
30.
Davis SE, Knight S, White V, Claridge C, Davis B, Bell R: Climacteric symptoms among Indigenous Australian women and a model for the use of culturally relevant art in health promotion. Menopause. 2003, 10 (4): 345-351. 10.1097/01.GME.0000054819.03576.43.CrossRefPubMed
31.
Adegoke O, Iranloye BO, Osibogun A: Psychosomatic menopausal experiences in Nigerian women - the influence of age at menarche and age at menopause. Asian J Epidemiol. 2008, 1 (2): 72-76. 10.3923/aje.2008.72.76.CrossRef
32.
Avis N, McKinlay S: A longitudinal analysis of women’s attitudes toward the menopause: Results from the Massachusetts Women’s Health Study. Maturitas. 1991, 13 (1): 65-79. 10.1016/0378-5122(91)90286-Y.CrossRefPubMed
33.
Bertero C: What do women think about menopause? A qualitative study of women’s expectations, apprehensions and knowledge about the climacteric period. Int Nurs Rev. 2003, 50 (2): 109-118. 10.1046/j.1466-7657.2003.00185.x.CrossRefPubMed
34.
Beyene Y: Cultural significance and physiological manifestations of menopause a biocultural analysis. Cult Med Psychiatry. 1986, 10 (1): 47-71. 10.1007/BF00053262.CrossRefPubMed
35.
Hunter M, O’Dea I: An evaluation of a health education intervention for mid-aged women: five year follow-up of effects upon knowledge, impact of menopause and health. Patient Educ Couns. 1999, 38 (3): 249-255. 10.1016/S0738-3991(98)00143-8.CrossRefPubMed
36.
Hunter M, Rendall M: Bio-psycho-socio-cultural perspectives on menopause. Baillieres Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 2007, 21 (2): 261-274.CrossRef
37.
Melby M, Lock M, Kaufert P: Culture and symptom reporting at menopause. Hum Reprod Update. 2005, 11 (5): 495-512. 10.1093/humupd/dmi018.CrossRefPubMed
38.
Shoebridge A, Steed L: Discourse about menopause in selected print media. Aust N Z J Public Health. 1999, 23 (5): 475-481. 10.1111/j.1467-842X.1999.tb01302.x.CrossRefPubMed
39.
40.
Bessarab D, Ng’andu B: ‘Yarning about yarning as a legitimate method in indigenous research’. International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies. 2010, 3 (1): 37-50.
41.
Berger P, Luckmann T: The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. 1966, New York: Anchor Books
42.
Creswell J: Research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. 2003, California: Sage publications, Inc, 2
43.
Lincoln Y, Guba E: Naturalistic Inquiry. 1985, Beverly Hills: Sage
44.
Westphal LM: Increasing trustworthiness of research results: the role of computers in qualitative text analysis. Bengston DN. Applications of computer-aided text analysis in natural resources. 2000, General Technical Report NC-211. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Research Station, 1-6.
45.
Lennie J: Increasing the rigour and trustworthiness of participatory evaluations: learnings from the field. Evaluation Journal of Australasia. 2006, 6 (New Series) (1): 27-35.
46.
Daly J: Caught in the web: the social construction of menopause as disease. J Reprod Infant Psychol. 1995, 13 (2): 115-126. 10.1080/02646839508403241.CrossRef
47.
Murtagh MJ, Hepworth J: Narrative review of changing medical and feminist perspectives on menopause: from femininity and ageing to risk and choice. Psychology, Health and Medicine. 2005, 10 (3): 276-290. 10.1080/13548500500093225.CrossRef
48.
Ballard KD, Kuh DJ, Wadsworth MEJ: The role of the menopause in women’s experiences of the ‘change of life’. Sociol Health Illn. 2001, 23 (4): 397-427. 10.1111/1467-9566.00258.CrossRef
49.
50.
51.
Roberts PJ: The menopause and hormone replacement therapy: views of women in general practice receiving hormone replacement therapy. Br J Gen Pract. 1991, 41: 421-424.PubMedPubMedCentral
52.
van der Sluijs CP, Bensoussan A, Liyanage L, Shah S: Women’s health during mid-life survey: the use of complementary and alternative medicine by symptomatic women transitioning through menopause in Sydney. Menopause. 2007, 14 (3): 397-403. 10.1097/01.gme.0000236937.36078.f4.CrossRefPubMed
53.
Hardy R, Kuh D, Wadsworth M: Smoking, body mass index, socioeconomic status and the menopausal transition in a British national cohort. Int J Epidemiol. 2000, 29: 845-851. 10.1093/ije/29.5.845.CrossRefPubMed
54.
55.
Ming-Huei C, Shuu-Jiun W, Peng-Hui W, Jong-Ling F: Attitudes toward menopause among middle-aged women: a community survey in an island of Taiwan. Maturitas. 2005, 52 (3/4): 348-355.
56.
Ayranci U, Orsal O, Orsal O, Arslan G, Emeksiz DF: Menopause status and attitudes in a Turkish midlike female population: an epidemiological study. BMC Womens Health. 2010, 10 (1): 1-10.1186/1472-6874-10-1.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
57.
MacLennan AH, Taylor AW, Wilson DH: Hormone therapy use after the Women’s Health Initiative. Climacteric. 2004, 7: 138-142. 10.1080/13697130410001713733.CrossRefPubMed
58.
Chedraui P, Aguirre W, Hidalgo L, Fayad L: Assessing menopausal symptoms among healthy middle aged women with the Menopause Rating Scale. Maturitas. 2007, 57 (3): 271-278. 10.1016/j.maturitas.2007.01.009.CrossRefPubMed
59.
Velez MP, Alvarado BE, Lord C, Zunzunegui M-V: Life course socioeconomic adversity and age at natural menopause in women from Latin America and the Caribbean. Menopause. 2010, 17 (3): 552-559.PubMed
60.
61.
62.
63.
Utz R: Like mother, (not) like daughter: The social construction of menopause and aging. J Aging Stud April. 2011, 25 (2): 143-154. 10.1016/j.jaging.2010.08.019.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Exploring Australian Aboriginal Women’s experiences of menopause: a descriptive study
Authors
Janelle R Jurgenson
Emma K Jones
Emma Haynes
Charmaine Green
Sandra C Thompson
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Women's Health / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1472-6874
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6874-14-47

Other articles of this Issue 1/2014

BMC Women's Health 1/2014 Go to the issue

Research article

Prevalence, impacts and medical managements of premenstrual syndrome among female students: cross-sectional study in college of health sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Northern Ethiopia

Research article

Sexual assault in Lagos, Nigeria: a five year retrospective review

Research article

Prevalence of domestic violence during pregnancy and related risk factors: a cross-sectional study in southern Sweden

Research article

Characteristics of sexual violence against adolescent girls and adult women

Research article

Mental health of victims of sexual violence in eastern Congo: associations with daily stressors, stigma, and labeling

Research article

Breast cancer-preventive behaviors: exploring Iranian women’s experiences