Abstract
Introduction: Life expectancy of women is increasing. If the average age of menopause onset is considered to be 49 years, it is possible for women to live a third of their life in post menopause. Although menopause is a biological fact, it is associated with a socio-cultural event such as aging, which strongly influences the way women approach this period and in their personal development project during this stage of lifetime. Objective: Describe the connection between social representations related to menopause and the experience of a group of Chilean women about their own process of menopause. Methodology: Qualitative research was conducted using content analysis according to Krippendorf, data was obtained from depth interviews. Findings: It is observed that the menopause for the participanting women was a lived experience as a polarity, which is related to the coexistence of opposing emotions and meanings linked to the end of menstruation and the interpretation they make of the symptomatology associated with menopause. Conclusion: Women feel that menopause is a normal stage; however, they consider “this normality” as a painful and suffering process that may be charged by cultural beliefs and social representations about menopause transmitted by generations in Chile.
Translated title of the contribution | Experience of users at a chilean primary care center menopause and social representations |
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Original language | Spanish |
Pages (from-to) | 41-50 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Revista Cubana de Obstetricia y Ginecologia |
Volume | 43 |
Issue number | 3 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jul 2017 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology