Cultural differences, attitudes and perceptions regarding menopause

Abstract

Menopause, in many parts of the world, is considered as an important issue in a woman's life. It begins with the permanent cessation of menstruation and is a period of transition and adaptation to a new condition characterized by lack of estrogen and loss of reproductive capacity of the woman. The transition to this new reality is accompanied by a series of biological and psychosocial changes with a variety of physical and emotional symptoms. As every woman is different, so the experience of menopause varies. According to the literature, although the emergence of symptoms is a global phenomenon, women from different cultural backgrounds report different symptoms. The same applies to perceptions about the meaning of menopause. The aim of the present paper was to investigate, through recent literature data, these different perceptions and symptoms that women of different cultures attribute to menopause. The review showed important differences between women of different countries but also between women living in the same country.