Menopause as Metamorphosis: The Meaning and Experience for Women of Well-being during the Menopausal Transition

Abstract

Although a normally occurring developmental transition in the life of a woman, menopause has often been portrayed as a negative event with much of the research being focused on the physical aspects of this experience. Hermeneutic phenomenology (Van Manen, 1990), grounded in a theoretical framework of feminist phenomenology, was used to explore the following research question: What is the meaning and experience of doing well during the menopausal transition for women who were not in a committed relationship throughout the transition? In depth audio recorded interviews were conducted with 10 post-menopausal women who self-identified as doing well during the transition and were not in a committed relationship throughout the transition. Themes across participants are: 1) a sense of menopause as a physical non-event; 2) the importance of relationships and dialogue with other women; 3) a sense of freedom; 4) a sense of transitioning to another phase of life; and 5) menopause as metamorphosis. The findings and implications are discussed in light of the existing research and theory.