Menopause in women is a significant biological marker of ageing that has several psychosocial connotations. Earlier efforts to understand the effect of menopause on physiology and psychology of women were shaped more by popular myths, societal stereotypes and medical opinion. Research in this field has moved from uncritical reliance on medical views of menopause to more women-oriented studies. There is also an active movement to ‘demedicalize’ and ‘ ‘demystify’ menopause and encourage women to examine their feelings and experiences. This article traces the historical views and evaluates the current findings regarding the effect of menopause of women's health, well-being, and sexuality.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Alder EM (1992). The effect of hormone replacement therapy on psychological symptoms. In; K Wijama & Van Schoultz B. (eds) Reproductive life. Camforth Parthenon.
2.
Bachmann G A, Leibum S R, Sandier B (1985). Correlates sexual desire in post-menopausal women. Maturitas. 7, 211–216.
3.
Doughty SED (1996) Menopause: holistic look at an important transition to the last and best third of life. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation11 (4) 7–15.
4.
Ballinger CB (1997). Psychiatric morbidly and the menopause, survey of gynaecological out-patient clinic. British Journal of Psychiatry, 13183–89.
5.
Ballinger CB (1990). Psychiatric aspects of menopause. British Journal of Psychiatry, 156773–787.
6.
Bart PB & Grossman M (1978). Menopause. In Notman MT & Nadelso CC. (eds) The woman patient. Medical and psychological interfaces. Vol. I New York: Plenum press.
7.
Boston's Women's Health Book Collective, (1971). Our Bodies. Ourselves. Boston: New England Free Press.
8.
Burleson MH, Marakey WB, Cacioppo JTPoehlmann KH, Kiecolt-Glaser JK (1998). Post menopausal hormone replacement: Effect on autonic neuroendocrine and reactivity to brief psychological stress. Psychosomatic medicine60, 17–25.
9.
Boulet RN (1995) (ed) Older women's health: clinical care in the postmenopausal years: a round table discussion Part 2. Geriatrics50 (6) 33–36.
10.
Callahan JC (ed) (1993). Menopause: a midlife passage. Bloomingon: Indiana University Press.
11.
Campbell MA (1973). Why would a girl go into medicine. Old Wesbury NY: The Feminist Press.
12.
Carolan MT (1994) Beyopund deficiency: broadening the view of menopause, Journal of Applied Gerontology13(2), 193–205.
13.
Cawood EHH & Bancrift J (1996) The menopause book: a guide to health and well-being of women. Psychological medicine26 (5) 925–936
14.
Cherry SHRunowicz CD (1994). The Menopause Book : a guide to health and well being for women after forty. New York: Macmillan.
15.
Chirwatkul S & Manderson L (1994). Perception of menpause in North East Thailand contested meaning and practice, Social Science Medicine39 (11) 1545–1554).
16.
Chowdhury NR (1963). Menopause and its problems. Journal of Indian Medical Association53, (1) 16–17
17.
Coney S (1994). The Menopause industry : how the medical establishment exploits women. Alameda, CA: Hunter hose.
18.
Currier AF (1897). The Menopause. New York: Appleton
19.
Culter WB, Celso-Ramon G (1992). Menopause: a guide for women and the men who love them (Rev. ed). New York: WW Norton.
20.
Davis S (1996) The healthy women : menopause and other things we don't talk about. New York: Brunner / Mezel.
21.
Doughty SED (1996). Menopause.: a holistic look at an important transition to the last and best third of life. Topics in Geraiatric Rehabilitation11 (4) : 7–15.
22.
Dow MGT & Hart DM (1983). Hormonal treatment of sexual unresponsiveness in postmenopausal women. A comparative study. British Journal of Obstertrics and Gynaecology90316–366.
23.
Exley D & Corker CS. (1966). The human male cycle of urinary oestrone and 17 oxosteroids. Journal of endocrinology, 35 (1) 83–99.
24.
Figueiras MJMarteu TM (1995). Experience of the menopause: a comparison between Portugal and the UK. Journal of reproductive and infant psychology, 13 (2) 93–100.
25.
Flint M (1974). Menarches and menopause of Rajput women. Dissertation Abstract International34 (12) I, 5791 B.
26.
Flint M (19976). Cross cultural factors that affect age of menopause. In Vankeep A, Greenblat RB, Albeaux-Ferent M (eds) Consensus on menopause research MTP. Lancaster.
27.
Gath D & Iles S (1990) Depression and the menopause. British Medical Journal300, 1287–1288.
28.
Goodman MJ, Grove JS, Gilber F Jr (1978). Age at manopause in relation to reproductive history in Japanese, Caucasian Chinese and Hawaiin women living in Hawaii. Journal of gerontology33 (5) 688–694.
29.
Gréer G. (1992). The change: women aging and the menopause. New York: Alfed A Knopf.
30.
Haller JS Jr & Haller RM (1975). The physician and sexuality in Victorian America. University of Illinois Press.
31.
Halbreich U (1997). Role of estrogen in post menopause depression. Neurology48, (5 supplement 7) S16–S20)
32.
Hawton K, Gath D, Day A (1994). Sexual function in a community sample of middle-aged women with partners: effect of age, marital socio-economic and menopausal factors. Archives of Sexual Behaviour23375–395.
33.
Hay AG, Bancroft J, Johnstone EC (1994). Affective symptoms in women attending a menopausal clinic, British Journal of Psychiatry164: 513–516.
34.
Henderson VW (1997). The epidemiology of estrogen replacement therapy and Alzheimer's disease. Neurology, 48, (5 supplement 7) S27–S35.
35.
Herrick CA, Douglas V, Carlson JH (1996). Menopause and hormone replacement therapy from holistic and medical perspectives, Issues in mental health nursing, 17 (2) 153–168.
36.
Hunter MS (1990). Emotinal well-being sexual behaviour and Hormone Replacement Therapy. Maturitas12. 217–228.
37.
Indira SN (1979). Midlife crisis: a psychosocial study of menopause. Unpublished thesis submitted to Bangalore Unversity : Bangalore.
38.
Jamuna D (1984). A study of some factors related to adjustment of middle aged and old women. Unpublished doctoral dissertation submitted to S. V. University, Tirupati.
39.
Jaszman L, Van Lith ND, Zaat JCA (1969). The age at menopause in the Netherlands. International journal of Fertility, 14, 106.
40.
MacMahon BWorcester J (1996). Age at menopause The United States 1960-1962. US Vital and health statistics series II, No. 19
41.
Maoz Dowty N, Anotonovsky A & Wijsenbeek H (1970). Female attitude to menopause. Social psychiatry5, (1), 35–40.
42.
Martin RL, Robert WV, Clayton PJ and Langer D et al. (1977). Psychiatric illness and non-cancer hystereetomy,Deseases of nervous system, 38, (12) 974–80.
43.
Matthews KA, Shaumaker SA, Bowen DJ, Langer D et al. (1997). Women's health initiative: why now? What is it? What's new ?American psychologist, 52 (2), 101–116
44.
McKinlay S, McKinlay J.B. (1973) Selected studies of the menopause. Journal of biosocial science4: 161
45.
McKinaly S, McKinlay J.B. (1973) Selected studies of the menopause. Journal of bio social science, 5 (4) 533–55.
46.
McKinaly J.B.McKinlay S.J.Brambilia D, (1987) The active contributions of endocrine changes and social circumstances to depression in mid-aged women. Journal of health and social behaviour, 28, 345–63.
47.
McMorrow F. (1974). Midolescence: The dangerous years. Straberry Hill Pub. Co. Inc.
48.
Mortes KF, Meyer JS (1995). Lack of post menopausal estrogen replacement therapy and the risk of dementia. Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosience. 7(3) 334–337.
49.
Montgomery JC, Appleby L, Brincat M, et al. (1987). Effect of oestrogen and testerone implants on psychological disorders in the climacteric. Lanceri: 297–299.
50.
Neugarten BL, Datan N (1974). The middle lyeras, In: Areniti (ed) American handbook of psychiatry /Vol INew YorkBasic books inc.
51.
Newton G, Nichols CR (1976). Reactions to hysterectomy, fact of fiction. Primary care, 3(4) 781–801
52.
Padoun G, Holmes-Rovner M, Rothert M, Schimitt N, et al. (1996). African-American Women's perception of menopause. American Journal of Health Behaviour, 20 (4), 242–251.
53.
Parlée MB (1974). Psychology sings: Journal of women in culture and society, 1(1), 119–138.
54.
Pearce J, Hawton K, Blake F (1995). Psychological and sexual symptoms associated with the menopause and effects of hormone replacement therapy. British Journal of Psychiatry, 167, 163–173.
55.
Phillips SM, Sherwin B B (1992). Effects of oestrogen on memory function on surgically menopausal women. Psychoneuroendocrinohgy. 17484–495.
56.
Prakash IJ (1989). Life cycle changes in aging Indian women. Career award report submitted to UGC, New Delhi.
57.
Prakash IJ, (1991) Psychological profile of aging Indian women. In Prakash U (ed) Quality aging, collected papers. Varanasi: Association of Gerontology (India).
58.
Parakash IJ, Murthy V.N. (1981). Psychaiatric morbidity and the menopause. Indian journal of psychiatry, 23, 242–246.
59.
Prakash IJ, Murthy VN (1982) Menopausal symptoms in Indian women. Journal of personality and group behaviour2, 54–58.
60.
Pertat JR (1994). Coming to age: The craning year and late life transformation. Studies in Jungian psychology by J ungían analysts. Toronto, ON: Innercity, Brooks.
61.
Rakshit S (1962). Reproductive life of some Maharashtrian brahmin women. Man in India. 42(2), 139–59.
62.
Romiro-Jalbuena J (1994). Climacteric Filipion women: A preliminary survey in the Phillipos. Maturitas, 19(3) 183–190.
63.
Rostosky SS, Travisd CB (1996). Menopause research and the dominance of biomédical model, 1984-1994. Psychology of women quarterly, 20 (2) 285–312.
64.
Rutherford AM (1978). The maenopause. The New Zealand Medical Journal87. (609) 251.
65.
Sheehy G (1976). Passages: Predictable crisis of adult life. New York: EP Dutton & co.
66.
Sherwin BB (1988). Affective changes with oestrogen and androgen replacement therapy in surgically menopausal women. Journal of effective disorders. 14177–187.
67.
Sherwin BB (1997). Estrogewn effect on cognition in menopausal women. Neurology48 (5 supplement 7), S21–S26.
68.
Sherwin BB, Gelfand MM (1985). Sex steroids and affect in the surgical menopause: double-blind, crossover study. Psychoneurodocrinology. 10, 325–335.
69.
Shirokar A (1992). A psychosocial study of men and women at middle and later life. Unpublished doctoral thesis submitted to Bangalore University, Bangalore.
70.
Strickler RC, Broth R, Cecutti A (1997). The role of oestrogen replacement in the climacteric syndrome. Psychological medicine. 7, 631–639
71.
Tang GWK (1994). The climacteric of Chinese factory workers. Maturitas, 19 (3) 177–182
72.
Uma H (1981). Study of some variables influencing psychological symptoms in middle aged women. Unpublished Master's dissertation submitted to Bangalore University, Bangalore.
73.
Vankeep PA, Greenblatt RB, Albeaux-Fernet M (Eds) (1976). Consensus on menopause research: A summary of international opinion. Lancaster England: MTP press.
74.
Vatuk S (1975). The aging women in India. Self perception and changing role. In De Souza A (ed). Women in contemporary India. Delhi: Manohar.
75.
Zweifel J EO'bren U H (1997). A meta analysis of the HRT upon depressed mood. Psycho neuroendocrinology, 22(3) 189–212.
