International Journal of Health Sciences and Research

Vol.13; Issue: 9; September 2023

Website: www.ijhsr.org
Original Research Article ISSN: 2249-9571

Women’s Experience on Menopause - A Qualitative

Study
Rukmani R1, Tamilarasi B2, Padmavathi P3
1
Ph.D. Research Scholar, The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, Chennai, India
2
Principal, Madha College of Nursing, Chennai, India
3
Principal, Dhanvantri College of Nursing, Namakkal, India

Corresponding Author: Rukmani R

DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20230923

ABSTRACT

Background: Menopause is the point, where a woman has gone 12 consecutive months without a
menstrual period. It is a natural part of aging and marks the end of reproductive years. While
transition to menopause, women may be experiencing some or all of the symptoms such as hot
flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness etc. which may affect their day-to-day life leading to decrease
in the quality of life. Objective: To study the experience of women during menopause.
Materials and Methods: Through purposive sampling 20 women were selected who experienced
menopause. They were in the age group between 41 to 60 years. The study was conducted in
Suthanthirapuram Panchayat, Mettupalayam, Coimbatore. Data was collected by adopting semi-
structured interview method. The duration of study was one month. Collected data were analyzed
using Colaizzi’s analysis method.
Results: Four (04) themes emerged from the findings, which are: affects health, affects work,
Emotional wellbeing and loss of woman hood. Further there were psychological encounters such as
mood swings, anger, depression and emotionally detached with others. They had experiences in health
issue such as hot flashes, palpitation, night sweat and sleep disturbances.
Conclusion: Results evidence that health care practitioners should give advice in order to maximize
assistance for women during this developmental phase. Health care needs to be personal and tailored
to the individual needs, preferences and expectations of women, with due regard to social and cultural
contexts. Coping strategies should be developed to enable women who are struggling to manage the
psychological impact of menopause

Keywords: Menopause, Hot flashes, Menstruation, quality of life, mood swings

INTRODUCTION experience when she turns thirteen is the

The most attractive, prized, and distinctive start of her menstrual period. After that, a
creation of the God on our magnificent woman goes through childbirth, marriage,
planet are women who are able to bear and pregnancy. Each of these phases
children. Women in this world are involves significant physical and
extremely unusual. The natural progression psychological changes for the woman.
of a woman's life includes many stages, Because it brings about so many changes
from puberty through menopause, as well as and turning points, middle age is the most
pregnancy, labour, parenthood, and death. A important stage for any woman. Usually, it
woman's life starts when she is born a starts throughout the first forty years of life.
female. A woman goes through the stages of Women naturally go through menopause as
infancy, childhood, and adulthood. The first a transition between the challenges of
and biggest change a woman will maturity and the hopelessness of old life.

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 Rukmani R et.al. Women’s experience on menopause - a qualitative study

Women experience one or more symptoms conducted. Tested interview skills were
as listed while approaching menopause. Hot used to conduct more effective
flashes, sometimes referred to as vasomotor interviews. Tape recorders were used to
symptoms (a sudden, all-over warm collect data effectively. Also nonverbal
feeling), cold flashes and/or night sweats, communications such as crying, sighing
discomfort from vaginal dryness during were analyzed. Data was collected for a
intercourse, Urinary urgency, or the urgent period of 1 month with each interview
need to urinate more often, insomnia, or duration ranging from 40 minutes to 1
difficulty sleeping, Mood swings, hour.
impatience, or moderate depression are
examples of emotional shifts dry eyes, dry DATA ANALYSIS
mouth, or dry skin, breast sensitivity. The data was analyzed by Colaizzi’s
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is getting analysis method. Data was collected on a
worse. Periods that are heavier or lighter one-to-one basis, to enable participants to
than usual or that are irregular. As a result, explore their own experience of menopause,
it is crucial to consider how well they are without having to adhere to a rigid schedule.
living. In order to provide better care for The recordings were listened to carefully to
women and raise their quality of life, it is get a view and sense of the whole content
crucial to comprehend their experiences. given by the participants. Then it is
transcribed into text. Statements which are
MATERIALS & METHODS vital for study was recorded on separate
Qualitative phenomenological approach was sheet. The meaning of phrases was
used. The experiences are qualitative and described and defined. The formulated
challenging to put a number on. meanings were categorized in to sub themes
Additionally, because participants are free and then themes and these categories were
to speak openly, this form of study referred to initial protocols for confirming
methodology is ideal for thorough and in- their validity.
depth exploration of women's "lived The individual transcripts were first read
experiences." The participants of this study several times to become comfortable with
were menopausal women who were in the them and to start looking for patterns in the
age group of 41 to 60 years. Random data. After that, codes were manually
sampling method was used and have created by making notes and underlining
experienced menopause for a period less patterns on the printed transcripts in order to
than one year. Their willingness to discuss find unique aspects of the data and group
experiences of menopause was also them into appropriate categories. The
considered when selecting the sample. groupings of codes were then divided into
potential themes and sub-themes, each of
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS which captured an essential aspect of the
DATA COLLECTION research issue. To allow for cogent
Semi-structured interviews were used differences between topics, these groups
for data collection. Supplementary were regularly amended and improved,
words such as “How, What, why…” which required combining and modifying
were added accordingly to encourage themes as necessary.
women to explain their experiences in In order to ensure that the themes reflected
detail. The interviews were conducted in a the substance of each notion and the reason
room without any interruption from others why they are an intriguing element of the
and mainly focusing on issues related to data, an initial thematic map was manually
their experiences on menopause. The created. The individual themes were then
content of the interviews was recorded, finalized in relation to all other themes,
transcribed verbatim after each interview is making sure that each has a clear "story"

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that matches the overarching narrative of the RESULT

data. During the analysis of the interview
transcripts, four key themes captured the
essence of the data: (i) Affecting Health, (ii)
Affects work (iii) Emotional wellbeing and
(iv) loss of woman hood

Palpitation Doing things

repeatedly

Affects Hot Flashes Affects work

Health Not able to do
household chores

Night Sweat
Unable to complete
work due to laziness
Sleep Disturbance

Loss of fertility
Mood Swings

Loss of Loss of control

Emotional Anger Woman
Well Being hood

Change in self image

Depression

Loss of womanhood
Emotionally detached with
others

Affects Health: that it starts at my feet and my toes feel as if

I used to experience day sweats and would they are burning, and then it goes up my
just start pouring down my face, making legs and it goes like a wave throughout the
people think I was going to pass out. This body”.
became embarrassing because they were These women have also reported having
staring at the beads of sweat and it didn't do sleep problems. They had numerous
your confidence any good to constantly feel nighttime awakenings. A sleeping issue
like you needed to take a bath (P5). One of called insomnia is linked to menopause. Hot
the participants described as feeling like a flashes and night sweats have both led to
hot wave that starts at their feet and moves difficult-to-tolerate sleep disruptions that
up their body till it reaches their head. It just have exacerbated irritation and stress in
lasts a few minutes and quickly ends two to women's working life. Additionally, they
three minutes after it started. Also, she has said that it was getting harder and harder to
experienced scorching throughout their fall asleep, and that their sleep was less
entire body throughout this time. (P4). restful.
“I am feeling like my ears are going to blow “During night my body is feeling very hot.
off my head, just fire, it lasts few minutes Hence, I take bath during such time, to
and then become relaxed. Suddenly I felt reduce heat. But however still I feel more

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 Rukmani R et.al. Women’s experience on menopause - a qualitative study

heat. I drink more water. But still heat is down. Even though every woman
dissipating throughout the body and unable experience mood swings differently, they
to sleep” (P9). were abrupt and powerful. The mood is also
“At times, I do get unbearable burning negatively impacted by other menopausal
sensation. I do experience palpitations and, symptoms, such as exhaustion.
in such instance, I drink more water” (P6) “I believe, I am not emotional stable. I'm
more sensitive; all of a sudden, I start to
Affects Work: consider how old my parents are and how
Many women had experience of forgetting soon I'll be the oldest. I have a lot of
things and had to do thing repeatedly. They thoughts. Well, it's hard to process, I
feel lazy and tired. Due to which they were suppose. These emotions make me
unable to complete their household chores. depressed” (P4).
“I experienced body pain and went for sleep Some women claimed that their
in the afternoon. Due to this, I am unable to forgetfulness, mood swings, and diminished
cook time this afternoon and my husband cognitive abilities occasionally made them
scolded me badly. I was never like this feel frustrated with their lives. These
before” (P3). women thus believed that their immediate
Other participants felt feelings of family, acquaintances, and others had
worthlessness at a less extreme level, abandoned them. They became frustrated
describing that they felt like a “failure” due and impatient with their life due to feelings
to their inability to carry out every-day tasks of irritation. These issues made it necessary
as a result of tiredness. for them to seek medical help and had a
Nearly majority of the subjects mentioned negative impact on their ability to do their
memory loss related to menopause. Women jobs and their relationships with friends,
discussed how forgetting affected their daily family, and co-workers. The women
tasks and employment. Many women participated in religious activities when they
admitted to the necessity of keeping a were going through those emotions.
reminder of their daily obligations. Women Women acknowledged that they
discussed changes in their mood that they experienced family issues, particularly those
and their family members had noticed. involving their partners. Conflicts appeared
to be primarily caused by emotional
Emotional well being instability or irritation. They claimed that
Many women have found that they struggle they were incredibly sensitive and often
to remember things and get mental blocks as irritated, and that this irritability was
a result of menopause. This can be straining their relationships with their
perplexing, worry-inducing, and families.
significantly affect all facets of daily life. As
a result, people encounter challenges when Loss of Woman Hood:
making judgments in both their personal and I am losing my fertility. And obviously,
professional lives. Women had disclosed the way you think in your head about who
that their cognitive processes had also you are, you don't rate yourself as a person
changed. The inability to concentrate and or as a woman anymore (P15)
make sound decisions can also be caused by “I felt as a woman, I was losing being a
insufficient sleep or sleep interruption. woman, basically, if I was losing my
Menopausal women are surprisingly prone periods and I was losing all of that end of
to mood swings and aggression, which can things. (P1)”. “I believe I went through the
be challenging to manage. A woman who grieving process and that there was a loss.
had mood fluctuations felt as though she There is a dread of losing my fertility,
was riding an emotional rollercoaster: one being unable to have any more children,
minute she was up, the next minute she was and feeling like you're just disappearing

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into the background because you're no Affects work

longer young and vigorous” (P12). Doing things repeatedly, unable to complete
And if your period doesn't come, you work and feeling lazy were the issues which
decide it's over and move on to a fresh were felt by the respondents. This result is
phase. Many participants felt that they had supported by study done by Hoda Sahorb
lost who they were before menopause. and Luma (2014) which revealed that
“You are looking not good as you used to forgetfulness was experienced by 48.3% of
be earlier (P2). I am feeling just became women and it had affected their day-to-day
pretty much like a shell (P5). The body work.
feels different. Feeling…like we, our skin
feels different too. The sense, I feel I’m Emotional well being
already old. ‘I just felt I was invisible. I According to the findings, mood swing,
just felt like I was a nobody.” (P1). This anger, depression and emotionally detaching
loss of identity was captured in the way with other were the predominant complaints
many women spoke about being “back to” experienced by the participants. This finding
themselves at the end of perimenopause/ supports study conducted by Bauld and
reaching menopause: “I'm back to my old Brown (2009) which concluded that
self again.” (P4). difficulty in concentration and loss of
confidence will affect emotional stability.
DISCUSSION
The most recent research shows that each Loss of womanhood
woman's menopausal experience is unique. Loss of control, Loss fertility, change in
The results of this study showed that the image and loss of womanhood were the
women had several types of menopauses difficulties experienced by the respondents.
during the transition to menopause. Four This finding is in contrast to study
main themes were drawn from the findings conducted by Carolan (2000) which
through analysis: 1. Affects health (2) concluded that women had a positive
Affects work (3) Emotional Wellbeing and menopausal experience.
(4) Loss of woman hood
CONCLUSION
Affects Health: In addition to the physical and
During menopause, the majority of women psychological symptoms of menopause,
have experienced hot flashes, night sweat women may also experience negative
and sleep disturbances. Similar results changes in their self-concept, such as
were reported by Waidyasekera et al., worries about their shifting identities,
(2009). They reported that hot flashes, unfavourable self-evaluations, low self-
joint and muscle discomfort, and esteem, etc. These changes may have an
physical and mental exhaustion were the impact on their quality of life as well as
most prevalent menopausal symptoms. other areas of their lives, such as their
Sleep disturbance and is the other major families, relationships, and jobs. In contrast,
issue which majority of the respondents some women will not be affected by the
had faced. Similar results were reported menopausal transition at all or will
by Waidyasekara et.al which revealed experience positive changes in their
that 66% of Srilankan women have perception of themselves. These findings
experienced sweats following should advise health care practitioners in
menopause. Also analysis conducted by order to maximize assistance for women
Ramulaeka (2015) revealed that African during this developmental phase. Health
women were experiencing sleep care needs to be personal and tailored to the
disturbances during menopause. individual needs, preferences and
expectations of women, with due regard to

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social and cultural contexts. Coping Health SA Gesondheid (Online),2014;

strategies should be developed to enable 19(1), 01-08
women who are struggling to manage the 6. Ramakuela, N.J. Experiences of women,
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Limpopo Province, South Africa. Women’s
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Declaration by Authors 7. Shosha, G.AEmployment of Colaizzi's
Acknowledgement: None Strategy in Descriptive Phenomenology: A
Source of Funding: None Reflection of a Researcher. European
Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no Scientific Journal, 2010;8(27), 31-43
conflict of interest. 8. Singh, P., Somers, V. K., Romero-Corral,
A., Sert-Kuniyoshi, F. H., Pusalavidyasagar,
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20230923

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