Knowledge and expectations of young women concerning menopause: Results ofan empirical study

The primary objective of this survey was to obtain information about the kn owledge and expectations young women have towards menopause. The second goa l was to examine circumstances which might have an influence on those expec tations, focussing on the impact of menopause on the mothers. 173 women age d 25 to 35 made up this non-clinical sample and filled in a questionnaire w hich was conposed by the authors. The results show that young women have a fragmentary knowledge but hardly show any deeper understanding of the physi ological or psychosomatic changes concomitant to menopause. The general exp ectation concerning menopause was more positive than described. The young w omen showed a slightly increased willingness to reorder their life and to o vercome menopause on their own. In addition, they had a rather critical opi nion towards medical help and especially towards hormonal replacement thera py. They also seem to have an opinion about menopause which is almost free from traditional taboos. Among factors that might influence those expectati ons, it was found that the estimation of the mother's menopause is importan t for the daughter's expectations. The more a mother's menopause was viewed as difficult, the more negative the expectations towards their own menopau se were. No correlations were found between knowledge about menopause and t he expectations concerning menopause. Neither different menstrual experienc es not the experiences of gynaecological diseases reveal any influence on y oung women's expectations concerning their menopause.