“A few hot flushes and a bit of dry skin”: Australian women’s knowledge of menopause

Abstract

Abstract Background Perimenopause and menopause can be accompanied by physical health issues that are known contributors to chronic health conditions such as heart disease, osteoporosis, and oral health problems [1, 2, 3, 4]. It is also a critical phase for the onset of psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety [5, 6, 7]. The number of women in menopause globally is expected to reach 1.1 billion by 2025 [8, 9]. Despite these statistics, there is little education provided to women about menopause consequently, many women have little knowledge and/or do not receive appropriate care in this critical life phase [18]. Aim This paper stems from a larger mixed methods study that explored Australian women’s knowledge and experiences of perimenopause and menopause. The aim of this paper is to present both qualitative and quantitative findings about Australian women’s knowledge of perimenopause and menopause. Method The research was conducted using an equal weighting concurrent mixed methods design. Quantitative data were collected via an anonymous online survey through Qualtrics. The survey was distributed across Australia using social media, local community organisations and menopause support groups. The survey for the larger study was developed using the 23-Item Women’s Health Questionnaire (WHQ) [10] and nine items from the Menopause Knowledge Scale (MKS) originally developed by Appling et al [11] and adapted by Smail et al., [12]. Qualitative data were collected during semi-structured interviews with women interested in further discussing their knowledge of menopause. The interviews were conducted via telephone and were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Results A total of 412 women completed the quantitative online survey with 25 participating in the semi-structured interviews. The integration of the quantitative and qualitative data provides evidence about the lack of knowledge of perimenopause and menopause and where and how women sourced their information. Most participants in this study had limited knowledge of menopause and their expectations of this phase of their lives differed greatly from the reality they experienced. Significantly, there was no meaningful difference in knowledge scores due to education level which may be reflective of the lack of evidence-based and relevant information available for women. Findings highlighted that valid and evidence-based websites facilitated discussions between women, further enhanced their learning and provided them with emotional and psychological support. Conclusion With women living longer in an ageing population, the need for knowledge and management of menopause symptoms will continue to increase. Limited evidenced-based, accurate and reliable information for women experiencing menopausal symptoms can have serious repercussions for their health. and as shown in this study, Ultimately, the stigma of menopause needs to be reduced in society to allow for better health outcomes for women.