Representations of Menopause in Peruvian Women: Descriptive Research

Abstract

Objective: To describe the representations of menopause in women who received care in first-level health care facilities in the city of Lima. Material and Methods: Observational cross-sectional research in women aged ≥40 years. A simple random probability sample was used. The “Menopause Representations Questionnaire” was used, which has a reliability between 0.68 and 0.79. The questionnaire is composed of 22 questions and four dimensions, all questions are measured using a Likert scale. Results: The final sampling consisted of 819 women. The average age was 52.5 years. 69% reported having a stable union, 54.6% were working, 68.1% did not seek medical help, 31.9% used hormone therapy. Identity dimension: The presence of hot flashes, night sweats had an average of 3.9. Positive consequences dimension: Having more freedom to plan activities without worries had a mean value of 3. The control, awareness and causes dimension: Menopause is considered a natural phase of a woman’s life with a value of 4.3. The control, awareness and causes dimension presented a mean value of 4.1 and the negative consequences dimension 2.72. Women who seek medical help showed differences in the identity, positive and negative consequences dimensions (p<0.05). Conclusion: Women perceive menopause as a natural phase of their lives and disagree with the idea that menopause means a decrease in quality of life.