Menopause experience in First Nations women and initiatives for menopause symptom awareness; a community-based participatory research approach

Background Little research has been conducted about menopause in First Nations women. In response to the wishes of Cree women living in Maskwacis, Alberta, to start a dialogue on menopause, we undertook community-based participatory research (CBPR) to explore menopause experience and raise awareness of menopause symptoms in the community. Methods The research adhered to the principles of Ownership, Control, Access and Possession (OCAP™) and was guided by the interest of the participating women. Local women (target age 40–65 years) were invited to participate in workshops using word-of-mouth and community posters in health centers. Five research workshops were held in community settings, attended by experienced women’s health researchers and consenting women. The participants guided the informal discussions. They also completed questionnaires which included menopause-related quality of life. The researchers used extensive hand-written field notes to record data; qualitative content analysis was applied to identify themes. Simple descriptive analysis was used for the questionnaire results. The findings were discussed at a community feedback session and laid the basis for further knowledge translation initiatives. Results The five workshops included a total of 37, mostly post-menopausal women with 6–11 women/workshop. The main discussion themes were: "experiences of menopause symptoms" including their impact on quality of life; "menopause knowledge prior to their own experience" with most women feeling that they had insufficient information before menopause; "menopause symptom management" which mainly included practical strategies; "impact of menopause on family members" which was of prime concern with uncontrollable mood changes affecting the whole family and sometimes causing matrimonial disharmony. Questionnaire responses corroborated the workshop discussions. Knowledge translation of the research findings produced two information pamphlets specifically for the Maskwacis community: one for husband/partner, the other for women and family members. These pamphlets have been distributed in all areas of the community. Conclusion This CBPR project addressed a topic identified by the community as being important. Community members developed informative pamphlets in response to the women’s concern of lack of understanding for menopause symptoms among families. This simple solution has been widely accepted by community members, opening the possibility of wider discussion about menopause.

Sleep quality and its association with menopausal and climacteric symptoms

ABSTRACT Objective: to assess sleep quality in menopausal women and its association with symptoms related to this period. Method: this is a cross-sectional, analytical and correlational study. Sleep was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; and climacteric symptoms, according to the Menopause Rating Scale. To compare the total score and each Menopause Rating Scale domain with the PSQI classification, the Mann-Whitney U non-parametric test was used. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: 261 women (67.8%) were classified as bad sleepers. There was a positive and significant correlation between the sleep scale scores and the total menopause score and its domains. Women categorized as poor sleepers had worse scores on the menopause symptom scale. Conclusion: women with worse sleep quality revealed greater severity of symptoms related to menopause.

Menopause Symptom Experience and Perceived Well-Being Among HIV Positive and Negative Older Women in Ibadan, Nigeria

Globally, people are living longer with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and older individuals are becoming infected. Menopause symptoms affect women’s health and are associated with perceived declines in wellbeing. This study assessed and compared the menopause symptom experience and perceived wellbeing among HIV positive and negative older women in Ibadan Nigeria Focus group discussions were conducted among menopausal women attending the ARV and GOP clinics at the University College Hospital Ibadan. Opinions of discussants on knowledge and experience of menopausal symptoms, perceptions about the menopause and perceived health status were explored. A total of 90 HIV positive and 92 HIV negative women aged between 40 to 60 years were sampled. Knowledge of the cause of menopause was poor, with more HIV positive women opining that sexual promiscuity causes menopause. The majority of the discussants had adequate knowledge of menopausal symptoms with most of them reporting vasomotor and musculoskeletal symptoms. In both groups, perceptions about the menopause were generally positive as most of them opined that the menopause means freedom from sexual activity and child birth. More HIV negative women perceived themselves to be in good health compared to HIV positive women. Menopause induces many of the same metabolic changes that are being observed with HIV infection, and this may affect the health and quality of life of aging women with HIV infection. There’s a need for health education and health promoting interventions that will help these women in coping with the double burden of HIV infection and menopause.