Women's perceptions and concerns about menopause.

The purpose of this study was to explore the following questions: What are the perceptions of midlife women as to the care they receive from a variety of healthcare providers? What are the issues and concerns that influence their decision making about hormonal therapy? What strategies do women find helpful in accommodating to menopause? What are the knowledge and perceptions/role of the partner during the menopause transition? The research design for this study used a nonrandom survey. The nonrandom convenience sample consisted of 320 midlife women 46-55 years of age. Data were gathered via a mailed self-administered Menopause Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey data. Qualitative data revealed more in-depth and personal comments from women concerning menopause. The most significant findings were that respondents (1) were in conflict about hormone therapy (HT), yet they had read extensively about menopause and used a variety of strategies to cope with symptoms; (2) reported that they received conflicting information and advice about menopause from a variety of sources and expressed concerns about not being fully informed by their healthcare providers; and (3) who received care from nurse practitioners (NPs) were quite satisfied with their care.