Keeping my ways of being

To deepen the understanding of menopause and its §role in women's lives was the general aim of this §thesis. Between 1995 and 2003, all women in two §Swedish primary health care districts received a §postal questionnaire, when they were 45, 50, 55 or §60. A total of 1681 women responded. Twenty-four §women were given research interviews. The effect of §menopause on qualit of life (QoL) and number of §symptoms were generally small, vasomotor symptoms §being the only exception. Older women were more §satified in these respects than younger women. Women §with experience of hormone therapy (HT) reported §lower QoL and more symptoms than women who never §used HT.A grounded theory of interviews and open-§ended questions revealed that the women dealt with §uncertainties during menopause with the process: §Keeping my ways of being. In this process the women §were perceived as acively involved subjects. The §intensity of the process and the use of its three §stages: Preserving, Limiting and Reappraising, were §considered dependent upon the important Personal §calculation process, in which the women used their §individual explanatory beliefs and evaluations of §need. To deepen the understanding of menopause and its §role in women''s lives was the general aim of this §thesis. Between 1995 and 2003, all women in two §Swedish primary health care districts received a §postal questionnaire, when they were 45, 50, 55 or §60. A total of 1681 women responded. Twenty-four §women were given research interviews. The effect of §menopause on qualit of life (QoL) and number of §symptoms were generally small, vasomotor symptoms §being the only exception. Older women were more §satified in these respects than younger women. Women §with experience of hormone therapy (HT) reported §lower QoL and more symptoms than women who never §used HT.A grounded theory of interviews and open-§ended questions revealed that the women dealt with §uncertainties during menopause with the process: §Keeping my ways of being. In this process the women §were perceived as acively involved subjects. The §intensity of the process and the use of its three §stages: Preserving, Limiting and Reappraising, were §considered dependent upon the important Personal §calculation process, in which the women used their §individual explanatory beliefs and evaluations of §need.