The lay concept of the climacteric among middle-aged Danes

Abstract

The lay concept of female and male climacteric was studied in a Danish general population cohort including 526 women and 439 men born in 1936, who completed a questionnaire in 1987. Differences between men's and women's ideas of male and female climacteric including personal experiences were demonstrated. With regard to the female climacteric, most women connected cessation of menstruation with hot flushes, whereas men focused mainly on negative psychologic changes. The existence of a male climacteric was accepted by 49% of the women and 26% of the men; however, only 7% of the men based their statement on personal experience. The male climacteric was mainly characterized by the psychologic problems identical to those men attributed to the female climacteric and the complaints women attributed to other women's change of life. Finally, the male climacteric was associated with decreasing sexual activity. This item was barely mentioned with regard to the female climacteric. The lay concept of the climacteric seem to imply psychologic changes that could not be explained by biologic changes, as well as more permanent changes related to the general ageing process. The risk of medicalization of a normal ageing process is underlined.