Body image, satisfaction with sexual life, self-esteem, and anxiodepressive symptoms: A comparative study between premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal women

Abstract

Menopause is an important life transition in women, and it is associated with significant physical and psychological changes. This study aimed at examining how the menopausal transition influences body image and satisfaction with sexual life. To this aim, body image dissatisfaction, sexual dissatisfaction, and self-esteem were compared in three groups of women with distinct menopausal status (premenopausal n = 142, perimenopausal n = 66, or postmenopausal n = 149), while controlling for depressive and anxiety symptoms and BMI. Using ANOVA between these three groups, we observed that dissatisfaction with body image was significantly higher in the perimenopausal sample compared with its premenopausal counterpart. In the postmenopausal sample, body image improved, as this group displayed body image scores close to the premenopausal level. In addition, sexual dissatisfaction was significantly increased in the perimenopausal and postmenopausal samples, which is compatible with the concept that higher body appreciation positively predicted sexual function. We conclude that body image dissatisfaction reaches a maximum during the perimenopausal phase, before returning to a level nearly identical between the premenopausal and the postmenopausal phases.

The Relationship between Postmenopausal Women’s Self-Esteem and Physical Activity Level—A Survey Study from Poland

“…In our study, the average value of self-esteem was 31.79 for inactive women and 29.74 in active women. This is consistent with the previous study of Sejourne N et al, who reported that postmenopausal women had self-esteems at the level of 32.58 [ 45 ]. However, our results are contrary to results from Switzerland, where the mean value of self-esteem in postmenopausal women was 38.86 [ 46 ].…”

Interethnic Influencing Factors Regarding Buttocks Body Image in Women from Nigeria, Germany, USA and Japan

“…Satisfaction with their sex life, country of origin, weight and social media were found to be decisive for satisfaction among women. This finding supported previous studies that indicated a positive correlation between body image and sexual satisfaction [ 48 , 49 , 50 ].…”

Friendships, Subjective Age, and Life Satisfaction of Women in Midlife

“…For many women, physical decline represents a dreaded marker of aging. Perimenopause signals important physiological changes that accompany psychological changes that frequently and negatively influence self‐appraisal, body satisfaction, and self‐esteem (Séjourné, Got, Solans, & Raynal, ). Although it would be ideal if women embraced the arrival of menopause with “postmenopausal zest,” a term attributed to famed anthropologist Margaret Mead, not every woman is ready to embrace this change, even in light of the potentially positive outcomes that await.…”