The significance of menopause for Chilean women attending primary health care centers

Abstract

Background: Menopause connects a biological event with social representations related to aging. Aim: To assess the meaning of menopause in a group of Chilean women attending primary health care. Material and Methods: Secondary analysis of a descriptive qualitative study of in-depth interviews to explore the meaning of menopause in fifteen women aged 55 to 71 years who experienced menopause between 2 and 29 years before. Data were collected using the method proposed by the Grounded Theory. Guba's criteria of scientific rigor were used. Results: Relational analysis shows that menopause divides the life cycle of women into two stages related with the possibility of having children, which is heavily influenced by the cultural significance of menopause. Conclusions: Women perceive that menopause is a natural stage and that it is the end of a period focused on tasks related to reproduction and motherhood. However, that "normality" includes a suffering process, loaded with negative cultural beliefs about menopause passed down for generations.