Anticipating menopause: Observations from the Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine midlife women's image s of menopause and their expectations of their own menopausal experiences. Design: Participants in the Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study (n = 508) responded to a question about their definitions of menopause, and their exp ectations and concerns about their own menopausal experiences during an in- person interview conducted at entrance to the study between late 1990 and e arly 1993. At that time, women ranged in age from 35 to 55 years (median, 4 1 years); 80% were European American and were well educated (median, 15 yea rs), Results: Women defined menopause in the following ways: (1) cessation of th eir periods, (2) end of their reproductive ability, (3) a time of hormonal changes, (4) a change of life, (5) a changing body, (6) changing emotions, and (7) an aging process. Few women defined menopause as a time of symptoms or disease risk or a time for medical care. Women were most likely to be u ncertain of their expectations of their own menopause, and many had no expe ctations. Conclusions: This cohort of midlife women did not seem to have adopted a me dical model of menopause and were most likely to view menopause as a normal developmental process. Their uncertainty about what to expect provides an opportunity for health teaching and anticipatory guidance. (Menopause 1999; 6:167-173. (C) 1999, The North American Menopause Society.)