Conceptualizing menopause and midlife: Chinese American and Chinese women in the US

Objectives: The purpose of this qualitative project was to describe and exa mine expectations and experiences of menopause and midlife in pre- and post menopausal Chinese American and Chinese women in the United States. Methods : Four focus groups were formed from a total of 44 women: two groups of pre menopausal Chinese/Chinese American women (one conducted in English and one in Cantonese) and two groups of postmenopausal Chinese/Chinese American wo men (one conducted in English acid one in Cantonese). Qualitative data, in the form of transcripts, were interpreted using text-based content analysis . Results: The major thematic findings were: meanings of menopause are inex tricably bound with meanings of midlife, the borders and timing of the meno pausal transition are ambiguous; the menopausal transition represents a nat ural progression through the life cycle; the expectations of the premenopau sal women did not match the experiences of the postmenopausal women; menopa use is viewed as a marker for aging; and the menopausal transition must be prepared for and managed. Conclusions. Study findings indicate that the par ticipants did not share the strictly medicalized view of menopause as a dis crete, biological entity. Menopause was typically described as a natural tr ansition that was virtually interchangeable with midlife. While most of the participants characterized menopause as signaling the end of fertility and virtually synonymous with old age, some women described it as a new opport unity and a second chance at life. Participants felt a sense of their own a gency in addressing what they viewed as a complex life stage, the experienc e of which could be manipulated. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.