Perceptions of menopause and aging in rural villages of Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

Background: The term ‘menopause’ is derived from the Greek words men (month) and pausis (a cessation, a pause). It is a direct description of the psychological and physical events in women where menstruation ceases to occur. It is the time in a woman’s life when she has experienced her last menstrual bleed. Menopause is not a disease per se but a condition associated with hormonal changes where oestrogen diminishes to a low level, causing aging-related health problems. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of menopause and aging amongst women in rural villages of Vhembe District in Limpopo Province, South Africa.Method: The study was qualitative and explorative, using phenomenological approach. Purposive sampling was used to select the four villages and to select the focus groups. Sample size was determined by data saturation.Results: The study findings were that participants in the villages associated cessation of menstruation to aging rather than menopause. Once menstruation stopped, one was regarded as old.Conclusion: The conclusions of the study were that (1) menopausal issues should be emphasised and receive priority from puberty at the girls initiation schools, high schools, churches, other community resources and health care services so that when women reach menopause, (2) they should accept and be able to effectively cope with menopause and aging. (3) Emphasis should also be placed on menopause as the aspect of human aging. Agtergrond: Die term ‘menopouse’ is afgelei van die Griekse woorde menos (maand) en pausis (onderbreking/pouse, einde) en is ’n direkte beskrywing van die psigologiese en fisiese gebeure in vroue waar menstruasie ophou voorkom. Dit is die tyd in ’n vrou se lewe wanneer die laaste menstruele bloeding ervaar word. Menopouse is nie ’n siekte per se nie, maar ’n toestand wat geassosieer word met hormonale veranderings waar estrogen afneem tot ’n vlak wat gesondheidsverwante probleme veroorsaak.Doelstelling: Die doel van die studie was om persepsies ten opsigte van menopause en veroudering onder landelike vroue in die Vhembe-distrik in Limpopo Provinsie, Suid-Afrika, te verken.Metode: Die studie was kwalitatief en verkennend, met ’n fenomenologiese benadering. Doelgerigte steekproefneming is gebruik om die vier dorpies en deelnemers van die fokusgroepe te selekteer. Die steekproefgrootte is bepaal deur dataversadiging.Resultate: Die bevindings was dat die deelnemers die einde van menstruasie aan ouderdom, en nie aan menopause nie, toeskryf. Wanneer menstruasie stop, word ’n vrou dus as oud beskou.Gevolgtrekkings: Aanbevelings was dat (1) menopausale onderwerpe reeds beklemtoon behoort te word vanaf puberteit in inisiasieskole, hoërskole, kerke en gemeenskappe en gesondheidsdienste sodat, wanneer menopouse bereik word, (2) vroue dit kan aanvaar en positief ervaar. (3) Klem behoort ook op menopause as ’n menslike aspek van veroudering gelê te word.

Individual perceptions and health seeking behaviour of rural postmenopausal women

“…9 Ramakuela et al who conducted study among South African rural menopausal women found negative perceptions regarding menopause due to cultural factors in the villages and most of them did not have family support. 10 Ama et al assessed the perceptions among Botswana menopausal women found that majority were free from menstruation, cost of buying napkins and more relaxed while others felt as heralding medical problems such as bones becoming weak, loss of libido, vaginal discharge and prolapse. 11 In our study only 35% of them sought health care and was mainly for cardiovascular and skeletal disorders which are long term health problems.…”

Women’s Experiences on Menopause: A Phenomenological Study

“…Similar results have been found in a field-based study from Sri Lanka by Waidyasekara et al, (2009) which showed that 66% of Sri Lanka women have experienced night sweating during menopause. Consequently, Ramakuela (2015) reported that African women have experienced sleep disturbance around the time of menopause more than other experiences.…”

“…This is often regarded as a significant event in a woman's life and it is accompanied by a series of biological and psychosocial changes (Bernis & Reher, 2007) and they have to adapt to a new biological state (McKinney et al, 2012;Speroff & Fritz, 2005). The mean age of menopause is around 51years and it ranges from 45-55 years in many countries (Ramakuela, 2015;Gharaibeh, Al-Obeisat & Hattab, 2010). In Sri Lanka women's life expectancy has extended upto 79 years (Ministry of Health, 2012) and the mean age of menopause is around 51 years.…”

“…Menopause is a crucial turning point of a woman's life and it is naturally designed as an aspect of the aging process (Ramakuela, 2015). So, this is the entry point for old age and it reduces the quality of life of women, and so women are not ready to accept these manageable changes at once (Ramakuela et al, 2014;Kilaf & Kirchengast 2010). However, menopause is considered a taboo subject and people are discouraged from discussing it (Formanek, 1990).…”

“…Menopause results from the reduction of secretion of ovarian hormone levels, including estrogen and progesterone due to the changes in the urogenital epithelium (Ramakuela, 2015). It also causes the decrease of other hormones as well (Jones & Boelaert, 2015).…”