Hiding symptoms and balancing work, family and relationships
Australian women discuss menopause and the midlife collision
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5658068 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Katrina Wood (0009-0007-3797-7949, Deakin University), Simone Mccarthy (0000-0003-2671-3511, Deakin University), Hannah Pitt (0000-0002-4259-6186, Deakin University), Melanie Randle (0000-0001-9129-1701, University of Wollongong), Grace Arnot (0000-0002-5646-6366, Deakin University), Sabrina Lynette Thomas (0000-0003-1427-7775, Deakin University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 387 |
| Pages | 118681 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Science & Medicine (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0277-9536 • E-ISSN: 1873-5347 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118681 |
| PMID | 41110246 |
| OpenAlex | W4415198347 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 43 |
Menopause research has had a largely biomedical focus on symptoms and treatment. To date, limited research has investigated how menopause might intersect with a range of other pressures and challenges that women might experience during midlife. This study draws on narrative responses to four questions from an online qualitative survey with n = 509 Australian women (aged 45 to 64) to understand how women conceptualised menopause within a range of broader midlife experiences. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to construct three themes from the data. First, women's experiences of menopause were diverse, ranging from feeling liberated from problematic reproductive issues (such as heavy periods) through to extremely negative physical and emotional impacts. Second, women experienced menopause alongside extensive midlife challenges which were influenced by gendered expectations and ageism. These included intergenerational caregiving responsibilities, workplace and career stressors, financial issues, relationship difficulties, and health concerns. Finally, while not all women experienced difficulties in navigating both menopause and midlife, many stated that menopause exacerbated already problematic midlife stressors, particular in relation to their sense of self, workplace challenges, their financial wellbeing, and disrupted relationships. It is important that approaches to menopause shift beyond individualised biomedical approaches to consider the range of structural issues that may contribute to broader health and social inequities for women as they age
Thematic Analysis
Conflicts of interest in submissions and testimonies to an Australian parliamentary inquiry on menopause
(Re)framing menopause
“It’s all about the money.” Australian women’s perspectives about menopause and the commercial determinants of health
Methodological and practical guidance for designing and conducting online qualitative surveys in public health
Gender-responsive health promotion for women
Australian parents’ perceptions of the risks posed by harmful products to the health of children
“How did I cope with that for so long every day, all day? ” Disruption, misrecognition, and menopause at work
Multiple Marginalizations Based on Age
Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis
Amplifying Women's Voices in Menopause Research
Women's Menopausal Experiences in the UK
Experiences and Needs of Perimenopausal Women With Climacteric Symptoms in Singapore
The role of alcohol consumption in the lives of older Australian women
Voices From the Hilo Women's Health Study
Women are hard to study”
Visibility patterns of gendered ageism in the media buzz
The menopause moment
Whose menopause revolution? Investigating the UK’s ‘Davina effect’ and the contemporary menopause market
The online survey as a qualitative research tool
Advertising menopause
A part of being a woman, really”
Menopause, work and mid‐life
It's our turn to play’
Mediating menopause
Sample Size in Qualitative Interview Studies
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |