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

Abstract

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.

PIP: Open-ended interviews with 26 Black domestic workers from Harare, Zimbabwe, examined the sociocultural context of menopause. The mean age at menopause among respondents was 50.5 years; all had reached menopause within the past 5 years. They had an average of five children. When their periods became irregular, 42% were perplexed by their symptoms, 39% understood almost immediately they were reaching menopause, and 19% understood after speaking with other women. 27% of respondents described menopause as a natural, inevitable part of life. 46% reported menopause had made no difference to their lives. Many women cited positive benefits such as freedom from illness (15%) and menstrual-related pain (12%) and a regaining of physical strength (31%). A content analysis of the interviews revealed five main themes: 1) unpredictability of when menopause will occur related to a pattern of stopping and then restarting periods; 2) the concept of movement through the life cycle, with menopause as a normal developmental stage; 3) the inevitability and finality of menopause; 4) meanings of menopause; and 5) emotional signs of menopause. Widespread was a belief that sexual intercourse is no longer possible after menopause. Menstrual periods are considered to cleanse the body of semen. If women have intercourse after menopause, it is believed semen will remain in the body and produce stomach bloating and then death. It is possible that this belief indirectly protects women from menopause-related sexual problems such as painful sex or decreased vaginal lubrication. Overall, these responses indicate that menopause is not regarded as negatively in some African cultures as it is in most Western countries.