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Lay perceptions of a ‘natural’ menopause. Cross sectional study of the British Women's Heart and Health Study
Author(s) -
Lawlor Debbie A.,
Adamson Joy,
Ebrahim Shah
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-0528.2002.02046.x
Subject(s) - menopause , medicine , oophorectomy , hysterectomy , cross sectional study , natural history , postmenopausal women , demography , perception , perspective (graphical) , gerontology , gynecology , psychology , surgery , pathology , neuroscience , artificial intelligence , sociology , computer science
Health practitioners and researchers define a natural menopause as one not due to a hysterectomy or oophorectomy. In a large cross sectional study of postmenopausal women, we found that the majority of women who report that their menopause was not natural gave a gynaecologic reason. However, 3% gave a major life event, such as divorce or bereavement. Age at menopause for women who had had a hysterectomy/oophorectomy was the same as that of women who reported that their periods has stopped because of a major life event—on average six years younger than that of women who described their menopause as natural. We suggest that women whose periods stop ‘naturally’ (from a medical perspective) but at a relatively young age perceive this as unnatural and search for an explanation for the early cessation of their menses.