Menopause: Irish women's voices.

OBJECTIVE

To gain an understanding of the cultural meanings of menopause for Irish women.

METHODS

Phenomenological, using Colaizzi's methodology to focus on the menopausal stories of Irish women.

METHODS

Six Irish women who were postmenopausal by 1-6 years were interviewed about their experiences. The participants were all mothers of five or more surviving children, chosen to exclude women who may have wished for more children. These women lived in small villages in rural southern Ireland. The taped interviews were conducted in the participants' homes.

RESULTS

The sociocultural context of menopause in Ireland is described, including common perceptions of fertility and social timing of childbirth, and the meaning and significance of loss of fertility at menopause. The predominant themes found were a shared sense of relief at reaching menopause, a sense of acceptance of menopause as a natural event in a woman's life cycle, and a sense of satisfaction at having successfully raised their families to adulthood. There was also a bittersweet paradox of associated menopausal symptoms, particularly heavy bleeding.

CONCLUSIONS

Rural Irish women in this study experience menopause as a normal process of aging and do not associate it with illness. Their experiences are strongly contextual and support the view that menopause is a complex phenomenon experienced within a sociocultural context.