Menopause
Conclusion
Menopause, viewed as part of aging, intricately relates the biological, cultural, and social aspects of a woman's life. Women in the cultures described all experience irregular periods and cessation of menses in midlife. However, women relate to the psychological and social aspects of menopause in less universal ways.
Symptomatic relief through medical interventions remains an important aspect of treatment. However, the focus on biomedical concerns does not outweigh the social and psychological expression of internalized cultural attitudes toward aging. The culture is a source of both language and images about aging from which individuals learn to describe their experience. Their concerns extend to the interpersonal realm of relationships between husbands and wives and mothers and daughters, as well as their status in the culture and social system. One aspect is clear: Despite the tangible marker of aging and the impact on identity, many women welcome the end of reproduction as a relief to their bodies and an opportunity for new experiences.
See also: ADULTHOOD; ELDERS; FERTILITY; SELF-ESTEEM; SEXUALITY IN ADULTHOOD
Bibliography
Beyene, Y. (1986). "The Cultural Significance and Physiological Manifestation of Menopause: A Biocultural Analysis." Culture, Medicine & Psychiatry 10:47–71.
Bowles, C. (1990). "The Menopausal Experience: Socio-cultural Influences and Theoretical Models." In The Meanings of Menopause, ed. R. Formanek. Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press.
Daton, N. (1990). "Aging Into Transitions: Cross-cultural Perspective on Women at Midlife." In The Meanings of Menopause, ed. R. Formanek. New Jersey: Analytic Press.
DuToit, B. (1990). Aging and Menopause Among Indian South African Women. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Formanek, R. (1990). "Continuity and Change and the 'Change of life'; Premodern Views of the Menopause." In The Meanings of Menopause, ed. R. Formanek. New Jersey: Analytic Press.
Hunter, K. (1991). Doctors' Stories. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Kaufert, P. A. (1982). "Myth and Menopause." Sociology of Health and Illness 4:141–166.
Lewis, J., and Bernstein, J. (1996). Women's Health: A Relational Perspective Across the Life Cycle. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Barlett.
Lock, M. (1993). Encounters with Aging: Mythologies of Menopause in Japan and North America. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Martin, M.; Block, J.; Sanchez, S.; Arnaud, C.; and Beyene, Y. (1993). "Menopause Without Symptoms Among Rural Mayan Indians." American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 168(6 part 1):1839–1845.
McAdams, D. (1993). The Stories We Live By. New York: Guilford Press.
Scarf, M. (1980). Unfinished Business: Pressure Points in the Lives of Women. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
Spira, M., and Berger, B. (1999). "The Evolution of Understanding Menopause in Clinical Treatment." Clinical Social Work Journal 27(3):259–272.
Spira, M., and Berger, B. (2001). "The Penultimate: Understanding Adult Women Beyond Menopause." Psychoanalytic Social Work 8(1):23–37.
Other Resource
Berger, G. (1999) "Study Finds Culture and Menopause Linked." ABC Online News. Available from http://abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s31980.htm.
MARCIA K. SPIRA
Additional topics
Marriage and Family EncyclopediaOther Marriage & Family TopicsMenopause - Cultural And Social Meanings, Menopausal Symptoms, Preparation For Menopause, Medical Treatment, Conclusion