The experience of premature menopause: A thematic discourse analysis

Abstract

This paper reports on qualitative data exploring women's experience of early menopause. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 women currently aged between 23 and 40 and diagnosed as menopausal. Their accounts were analysed using thematic discourse analysis. Participants reported that the word menopause itself was problematic when applied to someone as young as themselves. They described an emotional seesaw in the early stages involving varying degrees of shock, denial, anger and loss. Longer-term consequences were complex and multidimensional, varying both with context and material circumstances as well as developmental history. Women drew on discourses relating to gender, reproduction and ageing as they struggled to maintain self-esteem and control over their lives in the face of the largely negative social construction of menopause. Some implications for health care professionals are discussed.