Models of intervention in menopause: Proposal of a holistic or integral model

Objective: On the threshold of the third millennium, menopause has become a crucial social and health problem in developed countries. In the present w ork, we analyze possible healthcare strategies, describing their advantages and disadvantages within the context of different underlying conceptions o f menopause. Design: We have considered three theoretical frameworks or "menopause model s": the biological model, the psychosocial model, and the holistic or integ ral model. Each model is examined under three subheadings: concept, contrib utions, and criticisms. Results: The holistic model is proposed and defended as a valid option for the management of menopause. Conclusions: Adoption of the holistic model by health personnel may improve the attention given to menopausal women. As characteristics of,such a mode l, the following are important: (1) The positive vision of the climacteric transition as an opportunity for personal growth, (2) the biopsychosocial p erspective of the phenomena responsible for the different effects on the le vel of health and quality of life of women, (3) the development of health p olicies focused on health promotion, (4) the protagonism of women through s trategies based on self-care and self-help groups, and (5) individualized u se of hormone replacement therapy. (C) 1999, The North American Menopause S ociety.