Abstract:

The present article aims to review the major approaches and empirical studies on menopausal symptoms and variables re/ated to these symptoms in Turkey and cross-cuituraİİy. Menopause is a medlcai term indicating the absence of menstrual bleeding for one year, but the term climacteric İs used for the entire processes including premenopause, perimenopause and postme nopause. Early studies of the menopausal transition focused on patient populations that came to the attention of health çare professionals because of problems reiated to menopause. This focus produced a bias showing more negative results than would occur in the general population. More recently population-based studies ha ve been published and the results of these studies began focusing more on the dispute regarding the universality of menopausal experience in women and the role of the socio-cu/tural context A number of studies ha ve shown that menopausal experi ence varies across cultures. Research findings comparing women from Eastern and Western societies suggest that Eastern women conceptualize menopause as a natural developmentai processes and view this period more positive/y than their Western counterparts. Studies ha ve also shown that the re were large differences in the menopausal experience within the same culture. İt was concluded that the combination of variables such as physical changes, cultural influences and individual perceptions are very important in determining the so cal/ed menopausal symptoms. Empirical studies conducted in Turkey are discussed within the framework of these latter studies focusing on the psychological, demographic and socio-cultural variables on the appearance of menopausal symptoms.

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