Menopausal Symptom Experience of Hispanic Women in the U.S

Aims: Ethnic differences in menopausal symptoms have recently been reported, yet the findings on menopausal symptom experience of Hispanic midlife women tend to be inconsistent. Some studies reported that Hispanic women's menopausal symptoms were highly prevalent and similar to those described among White women, but others reported that some Hispanic women did not even recall any history of significant symptoms associated with their menopausal transition. The inconsistent findings necessitate further studies on menopausal symptom experience among this specific population. In this study, using a feminist approach, menopausal symptom experience of Hispanic midlife women was explored.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional qualitative online forum study among 27 Hispanic midlife women. The participants were recruited through the Internet communities/groups using a convenience sampling method. Seven topics on menopausal symptom experience were used for a 6-month online forum. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis involving line-by-line coding, categorization, and theme extraction.

Results: Four themes were identified: (a) “Cambio de vida (change of life),” (b) “being silent about menopause,” (c) “trying to be optimistic,” and (d) “getting supports.” The women perceived menopause as a change in their life; did not disclose their menopause and menopausal symptoms even with their family members; positively viewed menopause and menopausal symptoms as normal and tried to be optimistic about the symptoms; and they got strong support from their family members.

Conclusion: These findings suggest more in-depth studies with diverse groups of Hispanic women while considering family as a contextual factor that influences their menopausal symptom experience.