| Abstract [eng] |
Kiudulaitė, G. (2025). Women's experience of menopause. Master's thesis. Vilnius: Vilnius University, 55 p. Hormonal changes associated with menopause can affect a woman's physical, emotional, mental and social well-being. Awareness, access to information and services related to menopause remain an important public health challenge in most countries. It is not uncommon for women to not even know that the symptoms they experience are related to menopause (WHO, 2024). The aim of this work is to reveal women's experiences of menopause and their needs related to it. The study participants were 7 women who had experienced natural menopause when 12 months had passed since the absence of menstruation. The age of the study participants ranged from 48 to 59 years. The data collected through semi-structured interviews were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The results show that women's experiences of menopause are inseparable from physiological and functional changes in the body, psychological changes and the adaptive process, the transformation process, when moving from the end of fertility to personal freedom. The importance of personal relationships and intimacy was also revealed. The main needs of women during this period are revealed through the need for closeness with their partner, support, fellowship with other women, greater availability of information and recognition of menopause. A possible direction for further research is how women's partners experience this period. The results of this study could contribute to ensuring better women's well-being in the labor market, initiatives for creating mutual aid networks, faster recognition of the onset of menopause and obtaining appropriate help. |
