The Meaning of Menopause Experienced by Women

여성이 경험한 폐경의 의미

The purpose of this study was attempted to understand the substance and meaning of menopause experienced by women through informal interviews with oral consent. The informants were 6 perimenopausal women of 50-55 years old who are executing menopause. Colaizz's analytical method, a type of phenomenological analysis, was used to analyze data recorded by audiotape. One professor and a master's degree student who understand phenomenology, and the one who has a master of arts examined the validity between the meanings composed of the clusters of themes. Findings were turned out to be valid through validation process as the last step. The meaning of menopause implied both 'concept about menopause' and 'menopause as a time of change'. Menopause was mostly considered as cessation of menstruation as a physiological, natural, and normal process by aging. However, some people regarded menopause as a loss of youth and womanhood and lessening of every function of the body. Menopause as the time of changes means 'the period of' 'hormonal changes' such as change of menstruation, hot flushes, perspiration, and palpitation ; 'body function changes' of visual acuity, physical strength, sleeping, digestion, thoughts, bone and joints, skin sensibility, sexual pattern and intelligence ; 'emotional changes' such as anxiety, loneliness, gloominess, and nervousness. Menopause is a turning point on the women's life cycle accompanying various kind of changes and health problems. Therefore it is inevitable to develop strategy helping menopausal women pass through the critical successfully by adapting and coping with their critical period toward the healthy and better quality of life individually rather than putting them all into the standardized hormonal replacement protocol.