The menopausal experiences of women in a developing country: "there is a time for everything: to be a teenager, a mother and a granny".

The menopausal experiences of 26 Zimbabwean women were explored, using a structured open-ended interview schedule. Interviews were carried out in Harare in 1995. An analysis of the consensual data indicated that these women do experience the menopause symptoms that have been claimed elsewhere to be universal. Their experiences of menopause were not, however, regarded generally as distressing and were interpreted as a normal stage in the life cycle. Particular cultural beliefs are described which impact on women's understandings and reactions to the menopause.